Joe Gomez (footballer)

Joseph Dave Gomez(born 23 May 1997) is an English professionalfootballerwho plays as adefenderforPremier LeagueclubLiverpooland theEngland national team.

Joe Gomez
Gomez with the victory parade followingLiverpool's win in the2019 UEFA Champions League final
Personal information
Full name Joseph Dave Gomez
Date of birth (1997-05-23)23 May 1997(age 27)
Place of birth Catford,Greater London, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Position(s) Defender[2]
Team information
Current team
Liverpool
Number 2
Youth career
2007–2014 Charlton Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Charlton Athletic 21 (0)
2015– Liverpool 144 (0)
International career
2012 England U16 2 (0)
2013–2014 England U17 19 (0)
2014–2015 England U19 4 (0)
2015–2017 England U21 7 (0)
2017– England 15 (0)
Medal record
Men'sfootball
RepresentingEngland
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up 2024 Germany Team
UEFA Nations League
Third place 2019
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:54, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:10, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Gomez began his career atCharlton Athletic,breaking into thefirst teamat 17 and playing one full season before joining Liverpool in June 2015. After establishing himself as a first-team regular, Gomez struggled with injuries, but appeared in the2019 UEFA Champions League finalas Liverpool won thecompetition.He played in thefinalof the2019 FIFA Club World Cupwith Liverpool winning the competition for the first time in the club's history. He was part of the team that won the2019–20 Premier League,Liverpool's first league title in 30 years. Gomez has represented England at every level and played every minute of every match when England won the2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.He made his debut for the England senior team in November 2017.

Club career

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Early life and career

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Gomez warming up forCharlton Athleticin 2015

Joseph Dave Gomez[3]was born on 23 May 1997[4]inCatford,Greater London,[5]to a Gambian father, Augustus Gomez, and an English mother.[6]He joined the academy at nearbyCharlton Athleticat the age of 10,[7]making his debut for the club's under-18 team at just 13 years old.[8]Despite strong interest from other clubs,[9]Gomez signed his first professional contract with Charlton in October 2014.[10]Hisfirst-teamdebut came under managerBob Peetersin a 4–0 home victory overColchester Unitedon 12 August 2014 in the2014–15 League Cup,playing the full 90 minutes atright-back.[11][12]A week later he made his league debut in a 3–2 home win againstDerby Countyin theChampionship.[13]Gomez went on to make 24 appearances during hisfirst season.[14]

Liverpool

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2015–2017

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Gomez lining up forLiverpoolin 2017

On 20 June 2015,Premier LeagueclubLiverpoolsigned Gomez on a five-year contract for a fee of £3.5 million.[15][16]He made his debut againstStoke Cityon 9 August, starting as aleft-backin a 1–0 win, assistingPhilippe Coutinho's match-winning goal in the 86th minute.[17]

On 13 October 2015, Gomez suffered a season endinganterior cruciate ligament injurywhile playing for England U21.[18]A full year later, Gomez returned to full first-team training on 13 October 2016.[19]On 13 November, Gomez played 45 minutes in a behind closed doors friendly match atMelwood.[20]On 8 January 2017, Gomez made his first start since the injury in an FA Cup 0–0 home draw againstPlymouth Argyle.[21]

2017–2019

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On 23 August 2017, Gomez made his European debut, in a 4–2 win overTSG Hoffenheimin theUEFA Champions League play-off.[22]Due to the injury ofNathaniel Clyne,Gomez was the first-choice right-back for the first half of the season; even starting in games against rivalsArsenalandManchester United;against the former he assisted the first goal in an eventual 4–0 win, and his performance against the latter received praise from fans.[23][24][25][26]In late March 2018, it was confirmed that Gomez would miss the next few games as a result of suffering an injury during an international friendly game.[27]In May 2018, Gomez underwent surgery to his ankle injury, with Liverpool confirming via their official website that Gomez wouldn't play in Liverpool's last fixtures of the season, including the2018 Champions League final.[28]Gomez made 31 appearances acrossthe seasonfor Liverpool.[29]

As a result of the lack of fitness of regular first-team defendersDejan Lovren[30]andJoël Matip,[31]Gomez was able to establish himself as first-choicecentre-backin Liverpool's first games of the season alongsideVirgil van Dijk,receiving praise for his performances and receiving theman of the matchfor his performance in a 2–1 win overLeicester CityCity on 1 September.[32][33][34]He continued to feature in defence for the club during the opening half of the season before suffering a fractured leg in December following a challenge byBurnleydefenderBen Mee.In February of the following year, he underwent surgery in an attempt to assist his recovery from the injury.[35]Regaining fitness in April, Gomez made asubstituteappearance for Liverpool in the2019 Champions League final,which the club won.[36]

2019–2022

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Gomez playing forLiverpoolin the2019 UEFA Super Cup

Gomez began the next season deputising for the in-form Joël Matip, who had become a mainstay alongside Virgil van Dijk during Gomez's injury layoff the previous season. Gomez found himself recalled to the starting line-up following injury problems for Matip, and earned praise after a slew of clean sheets in the winter months as Liverpool extended a significant lead at the top of thePremier Leaguetable. Gomez was singled out for praise for his leadership and composure during a1–0 victoryover rivalsEvertonin the FA Cup in January; a match in which Gomez was the only senior player in the back-line afterJames Milner's early departure.[37]

Gomez suffered a tendon injury to his left knee whilst away on international duty withEnglandand underwent successful surgery on 11 November 2020 to correct the damage.[38]This left Liverpool with an injury crisis at the centre of their defence, following the ACL injury of Gomez' centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk.FIFAagreed to pay Liverpool £2 million in compensation to cover Gomez's wages whilst he was injured.[39]In May 2022, Gomez was an unused substitute in thefinalas Liverpool won the2021–22 FA Cup.[40]He was also on the bench as they lost 1–0 to Real Madrid in the2022 Champions League final.[41]

2022–present

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On 7 July 2022, Gomez signed a new five-year contract with the club.[42]On 9 November, hecaptainedLiverpool in thepenalty shoot-outwin against Derby County in the third round of theEFL CupatAnfield.[43]On 16 October, Gomez was highly praised for his performance againstManchester City.[44]

On 27 July 2023, following the departure of captainJordan HendersontoSaudi Pro LeagueclubAl-Ettifaq,Gomez became the longest serving player at Liverpool.[45]At the beginning of the2023–24 season,due to the injuries ofTrent Alexander-ArnoldandIbrahima Konatéas well as the two-game suspension ofVirgil van Dijk,Gomez was a regular starter for Liverpool both at centre-back and full-back.[46][47]

International career

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Gomez playing forEngland U19in 2015

Gomez has beencappedby England atunder-16,under-17andunder-19levels.[48]In May 2014, he was part of the squad that won the2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championshipin Malta, playing every minute of England's five matches and being named in UEFA's team of the tournament.[49]Through his father he could have been eligible to play forGambia.[6]

On 25 August 2015, he received his first call-up to theunder-21squad.[50]On 30 August 2017, Gomez was announced as England U21 captain ahead of the qualifying campaign for the2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[51]

He received his first call-up to the England senior squad in November 2017.[52]He made his England debut againstGermanyatWembley Stadiumin a friendly match, coming on as a substitute to replacePhil Jonesin a 0–0 draw.[53]Gomez received a man of the match award in the following game for his performance againstBrazil,earning praise for a number of crucial interceptions, and for his ability to nullify the threat ofNeymar.[54]He was named in England's 26-man squad forUEFA Euro 2024.[55]

Style of play

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Gomez prefers to play as a centre-back but can also play as afull-backon either side.[56]He has been described as a complete footballer and composed ball-playing centre-back with his style of play, being compared to that ofRio Ferdinandwhom he idolised growing up.[57][58]Gomez is also noted for his athleticism, pace and strength; he is able to produce powerful and dangerous runs up-field on the counter-attack and in defence is rarely physically dominated by an opponent.[49][58][59]

Personal life

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Gomez met his partner, Tamara, in 2014, on a bus on his way to school. They live together inCheshireand have a son.[60]His cousinMuhammadu Faalis also a footballer.[61]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 1 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Charlton Athletic 2014–15[62] Championship 21 0 1 0 2 0 24 0
Liverpool 2015–16[63] Premier League 5 0 0 0 0 0 2[a] 0 7 0
2016–17[64] Premier League 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0
2017–18[29] Premier League 23 0 1 0 1 0 6[b] 0 31 0
2018–19[65] Premier League 16 0 0 0 0 0 9[b] 0 25 0
2019–20[66] Premier League 28 0 2 0 2 0 7[b] 0 4[c] 0 43 0
2020–21[67] Premier League 7 0 0 0 1 0 3[b] 0 1[d] 0 12 0
2021–22[68] Premier League 8 0 2 0 4 0 7[b] 0 21 0
2022–23[69] Premier League 21 0 3 0 2 0 5[b] 0 0 0 31 0
2023–24[70] Premier League 32 0 4 0 5 0 10[a] 0 51 0
2024–25[71] Premier League 4 0 0 0 2 0 3[b] 0 9 0
Total 144 0 15 0 17 0 52 0 5 0 233 0
Career total 165 0 16 0 19 0 52 0 5 0 257 0
  1. ^abAppearances inUEFA Europa League
  2. ^abcdefgAppearances inUEFA Champions League
  3. ^One appearance inFA Community Shield,one inUEFA Super Cup,two inFIFA Club World Cup
  4. ^Appearance in FA Community Shield

International

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As of match played 7 June 2024[72]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
England 2017 2 0
2018 4 0
2019 2 0
2020 3 0
2024 4 0
Total 15 0

Honours

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Liverpool

England U17

England

Individual

  • UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament:2014[49]

References

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  1. ^ab"Joe Gomez: Overview".Premier League.Retrieved3 March2023.
  2. ^"Joe Gomez".Liverpool F.C.Retrieved28 October2023.
  3. ^"FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019: List of Players: Liverpool FC"(PDF).FIFA. 21 December 2019. p. 7. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 21 January 2020.
  4. ^"Joe Gomez: Overview".ESPN.Retrieved11 April2023.
  5. ^"Joe Gomez".11v11.com.AFS Enterprises.Retrieved11 November2017.
  6. ^abFadera, Lamin (29 June 2020)."REVEALED: Why Liverpool's Joe Gomez didn't play for Gambia".Africa Feeds.Retrieved15 May2022.
  7. ^"Joe Gomez" honoured "to join Charlton's list of England international academy graduates".Charlton Athletic F.C. 11 November 2017.Retrieved11 November2017.
  8. ^2014/15 Charlton Athletic Club Handbook
  9. ^"Liverpool vs Bournemouth: Joe Gomez takes slow approach to reaching life in the fast lane".The Daily Telegraph.London. 16 August 2015.Retrieved28 September2015.
  10. ^"Joe Gomez: Charlton Athletic youngster signs new contract".BBC Sport.7 October 2014.Retrieved18 June2015.
  11. ^"Joe Gomez impresses boss on his Charlton debut".The Football Association. 12 August 2014.Retrieved11 November2017.
  12. ^"Charlton vs. Colchester United".Sky Sports.Retrieved12 August2014.
  13. ^"Charlton Athletic 3–2 Derby County".BBC Sport.Retrieved15 February2022.
  14. ^"Liverpool defender Gomez unfazed by prospect of debut at Stoke".4 August 2015.Retrieved4 August2015.
  15. ^"Reds complete Joe Gomez transfer".Liverpool F.C. 20 June 2015.Retrieved14 November2017.
  16. ^"Joe Gomez: Liverpool sign Charlton defender for £3.5m".BBC Sport.20 June 2015.Retrieved20 June2015.
  17. ^Hafez, Shamoon (9 August 2015)."Stoke 0–1 Liverpool".BBC Sport.Retrieved10 August2015.
  18. ^Pearce, James (14 October 2015)."Liverpool injury shock as Joe Gomez set to miss rest of season with knee injury".Liverpool Echo.
  19. ^Doyle, Ian (14 October 2016)."Joe Gomez back in Liverpool training – and gets emotional round of applause from team-mates".Liverpool Echo.
  20. ^Kelly, Andy (13 November 2016)."Joe Gomez makes first Liverpool appearance in 13 months".Daily Mirror.London.
  21. ^"Liverpool 0–0 Plymouth Argyle".BBC Sport.8 January 2017.
  22. ^"Liverpool 4–2 1899 Hoffenheim (agg 6–3)".BBC Sport.23 August 2017.Retrieved14 July2018.
  23. ^"Liverpool 4–0 Arsenal: Player Ratings".This Is Anfield.27 August 2017.Retrieved14 July2018.
  24. ^"Liverpool 0–0 Man United: Player Ratings".This Is Anfield.14 October 2017.Retrieved14 July2018.
  25. ^"Who is Liverpool's first choice right-back? – LFC Transfer Room".LFC Transfer Room.17 November 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 4 November 2018.Retrieved14 July2018.
  26. ^"Is Joe Gomez Becoming a Right-Back?".AnfieldIndex.com.Retrieved14 July2018.
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  28. ^"Joe Gomez injury update".Liverpool F.C.Retrieved14 July2018.
  29. ^ab"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2017/2018".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved7 September2018.
  30. ^Lynch, David (12 August 2018)."Liverpool's Lovren out for a number of weeks, confirms Klopp".Evening Standard.London.Retrieved15 February2022.
  31. ^"Joel Matip injury overshadows Liverpool defeat to Borussia Dortmund".The Independent.London. 23 July 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 9 June 2022.Retrieved15 February2022.
  32. ^"Leicester City 1–2 Liverpool: Player Ratings".This Is Anfield.1 September 2018.Retrieved8 September2018.
  33. ^"Liverpool maintain 100% start with nervy win at Leicester".BBC Sport.1 September 2018.Retrieved8 September2018.
  34. ^"Crystal Palace 0–2 Liverpool: Player Ratings".This Is Anfield.20 August 2018.Retrieved8 September2018.
  35. ^Shread, Joe (4 February 2019)."Liverpool's Joe Gomez to undergo surgery on fractured leg".Sky Sports.Retrieved4 February2019.
  36. ^"Liverpool beat Spurs to become champions of Europe for sixth time".BBC Sport.Retrieved1 June2019.
  37. ^"How Liverpool's young defensive admiral proved world class credentials with masterclass vs Everton".Liverpool F.C. 6 January 2020.Retrieved7 January2020.
  38. ^"Joe Gomez injury update".Liverpool F.C.Retrieved24 November2020.
  39. ^"FIFA will cover part of Gomez wages while he's out for Liverpool".OneFootball.Retrieved24 November2020.
  40. ^"Liverpool win FA Cup after beating Chelsea again on penalties".The Guardian.London. 14 May 2022.Retrieved8 July2022.
  41. ^"Liverpool 0 Real Madrid 1".The Guardian.London. 28 May 2022.Retrieved8 July2022.
  42. ^"Joe Gomez: Liverpool defender signs new five-year contract".BBC Sport.7 July 2022.Retrieved8 July2022.
  43. ^"Kelleher's shootout saves see Liverpool scrape past Derby in Carabao Cup".The Guardian.London. 9 November 2022.Retrieved10 November2022.
  44. ^"Liverpool 1–0 Man City: 'Why Liverpool had to wait for Joe Gomez to get back to his best' - Martin Keown analysis".BBC Sport.16 October 2022.
  45. ^"Joe Gomez: I'm striving to be my best version".Liverpool F.C.13 August 2023.
  46. ^Kieran King (11 September 2023)."Liverpool sweating on three defenders for Wolves clash with Virgil van Dijk already out".The Mirror.Retrieved26 October2023.
  47. ^"Joe Gomez reveals when he almost left LFC – and how Virgil van Dijk stopped it".This is Anfield.19 October 2023.
  48. ^"Joe Gomez".The Football Association. Archived fromthe originalon 10 October 2014.Retrieved12 August2014.
  49. ^abcd"2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship: Technical report"(PDF).UEFA. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 14 September 2017.
  50. ^"England U21s squad named for USA and Norway fixtures".The Football Association.Retrieved25 August2015.
  51. ^"Gomez to captain U21s".The Football Association.
  52. ^"England: Tammy Abraham, Joe Gomez & Ruben Loftus-Cheek called up".BBC Sport.2 November 2017.Retrieved2 November2017.
  53. ^McNulty, Phil (10 November 2017)."England 0–0 Germany".BBC Sport.Retrieved11 November2017.
  54. ^McNulty, Phil (14 November 2017)."England 0–0 Brazil".BBC Sport.Retrieved14 November2017.
  55. ^"Eze & Wharton named in England squad for Euro 2024".BBC Sport.6 June 2024.Retrieved6 June2024.
  56. ^Pearce, James (3 August 2015)."Gomez unfazed about prospect of Liverpool bow in Stoke showdown".Liverpool Echo.Retrieved10 August2015.
  57. ^"Valley View: Jordan Cousins, Joe Gomez and Morgan Fox are unsung heroes of Charlton's turnaround".London24.Archant. 12 March 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 17 June 2015.Retrieved18 June2015.
  58. ^ab"Liverpool FC Joe Gomez Q&A: Charlton kid is" a ball-playing defender "in the Rio Ferdinand mould".Liverpool Echo.15 June 2015.Retrieved18 June2015.
  59. ^Hall, Joe (19 June 2015)."Joe Gomez: Why Liverpool have committed daylight robbery".MoreSport.com.Archived fromthe originalon 8 September 2015.
  60. ^Roddy, Tom (12 November 2019)."Steve Avory: Joe Gomez is a competitor but he never lost his temper at Charlton Athletic".The Times.London.
  61. ^Owen, Danny (4 December 2019)."Report: Crystal Palace, Watford and Norwich want 18-goal Muhammadu Faal".HITC.
  62. ^"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2014/2015".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved11 November2017.
  63. ^"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2015/2016".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved11 November2017.
  64. ^"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2016/2017".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved11 November2017.
  65. ^"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2018/2019".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved6 August2019.
  66. ^"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2019/2020".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved10 August2020.
  67. ^"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2020/2021".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved14 January2023.
  68. ^"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2021/2022".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved14 January2023.
  69. ^"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2022/2023".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved16 September2023.
  70. ^"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2023/2024".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved12 September2024.
  71. ^"Games played by Joe Gomez in 2024/2025".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved17 September2024.
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  73. ^McNulty, Phil (14 May 2022)."Chelsea 0–0 Liverpool".BBC Sport.Retrieved14 May2022.
  74. ^McNulty, Phil (25 February 2024)."Chelsea 0–1 Liverpool".BBC Sport.Retrieved25 February2024.
  75. ^Hafez, Shamoon (30 July 2022)."Liverpool 3–1 Manchester City".BBC Sport.Retrieved3 March2023.
  76. ^McNulty, Phil (1 June 2019)."Tottenham Hotspur 0–2 Liverpool".BBC Sport.Retrieved1 June2019.
  77. ^McNulty, Phil (28 May 2022)."Liverpool 0–1 Real Madrid".BBC Sport.Retrieved3 March2023.
  78. ^Rose, Gary (14 August 2019)."Liverpool 2–2 Chelsea".BBC Sport.Retrieved15 August2019.
  79. ^Poole, Harry (21 December 2019)."Liverpool 1–0 Flamengo".BBC Sport.Retrieved21 December2019.
  80. ^McNulty, Phil (14 July 2024)."Spain 2–1 England: Heartbreak for England in Euro 2024 Final".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 15 July 2024.Retrieved15 July2024.
  81. ^McNulty, Phil (9 June 2019)."Switzerland 0–0 England".BBC Sport.Retrieved12 June2019.
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