Alejandro “Papu” Gómez may have ended his own career when on a night last November, he was not feeling well and took one of his kid’s medicine without consulting Sevilla’s doctors. That medicine contained a banned substance and the amount of time the former San Lorenzo midfielder will receive has been announced.
Gómez tested positive when the Sevilla medical staff issued a surprise doping tests on their players and the positive result yielded the substance B2-adrenergic, similar to salbutamol.
After the FIFA World Cup, Gómez transferred to Monza of Serie A, after three seasons at Sevilla where he won the Europa League. Gómez only made two appearances for Monza and now it seems most likely he won’t suit up for them again.
Alejandro “Papu” Gómez suspended for two years
The official ban for the Argentine player is a two-year suspension although Gómez can appeal the decision it looks unlikely to be reversed. The ban comes at a time when it was revealed through reports that Gómez had a falling out with some of the members of the Argentine national team and that is why Lionel Scaloni has not recalled him to the squad.
Gómez only has a one-year deal with Monza and that will most likely be broken in the coming days if Gómez’s appeal fails. Papu returned to Italy and declined a move to the Saudi Pro League due to his family as he stated in an interview in Italy, “It was the whole family’s choice. Returning to a country we know well was the ideal decision. “After having terminated my contract with Sevilla and having rejected an offer from Arabia, I thought I would not play until June.”
“On the one hand, it was not an unmissable offer, one that changes your life. Then, when I looked in the atlas for the city where I should have moved, in the middle of the desert, I thought: ‘thanks, but I won’t take my three children there…’,” he stated.
Career of Papu Gómez
Gómez began his career at Arsenal of Buenos Aires then moved to San Lorenzo before making the leap to Europe and playing for Catania, Metalist Kharkiv, Atalanta, where he played in over 200 games, Sevilla, and now Monza.
With Argentina he earned 17 caps and scored 3 goals two of which in the 2021 Copa America which Argentina won. Gomez won six titles in his career, none bigger than the 2022 FIFA World Cup.