Gustavo Gómez
Paraguayan footballer (born 1993)
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Gustavo Raúl Gómez Portillo (born 6 May 1993) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captains both Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Palmeiras and the Paraguay national team.
|
Gómez with Palmeiras in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gustavo Raúl Gómez Portillo[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 May 1993[1] | ||
| Place of birth | San Juan Bautista, Paraguay | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Palmeiras | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Libertad | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2014 | Libertad | 47 | (5) |
| 2014–2016 | Lanús | 58 | (0) |
| 2016–2019 | AC Milan | 18 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Palmeiras (loan) | 20 | (4) |
| 2019– | Palmeiras | 264 | (23) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2010 | Paraguay U17 | 13 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Paraguay U20 | 25 | (3) |
| 2013– | Paraguay | 92 | (4) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:25, 28 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 08:41, 26 June 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Lanús
Gómez is considered one of the most promising defenders of Paraguay, who began his playing career at Libertad. In the summer of 2014, Gómez left Libertad to play for Argentine Primera División side Lanús.[2] Gustavo Gomez's Lanus conceded a mere 10 goals in 17 games en route to securing 2016 Argentine Primera Division title.
AC Milan
On 5 August 2016, Gómez completed a move to AC Milan for a fee reported to be in the region of €8.5 million, signing a 5-year contract.[3] He is the first ever Paraguayan footballer to play for Milan. After joining the club he chose number 15, in tribute of his former Lanús teammate, Diego Barisone who died in a car accident. [4] On 27 August 2016, he made his full debut for Milan in Serie A against Napoli, where Napoli beat Milan 4–2.
Palmeiras
On 2 August 2018, Gómez transferred to Palmeiras on loan with the option of purchase. Being considered by supporters as one of the best centerbacks of Palmeiras' history, he helped the team achieve three Brasileirão titles in 2018, 2022, and 2023, two Copa Libertadores trophies in 2020 and 2021, four Campeonato Paulista victories in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 one Recopa Sudamericana in 2022, one Copa do Brasil in 2020 and one Supercopa do Brasil in 2023.[5]
In June 2024, Gómez reached the mark of 37 goals scored with the alviverde shirt, with this, he became the defender with the most goals in the history of Palmeiras, surpassing Luís Pereira.[6]
International career
Gustavo's first selection to the Paraguay national team was for a friendly against Germany in August 2013.[7] On 7 September 2013, he debuted against Bolivia at the age of 20, and in that game he scored his first international goal. He played in the four editions of Copa América (Centenario, 2019, 2021, and 2024), having been the captain of the Paraguayan national team in the first two editions.[8]
Style of play
Gómez is a defender known for his feisty style of play and for his leadership skills. He is a defender who excels in defense, aerial play, and tackling, but is also capable of contributing to playmaking.[9] He prioritizes defensive quality and physical strength, qualities that have made him one of the best defenders in South American football and an idol at Palmeiras, where he is captain. [10]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 28 May 2026[11]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Libertad | 2011 | Paraguayan Primera División | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 2013 | 23 | 1 | — | — | 10[c] | 2 | — | 33 | 3 | |||||
| 2014 | 20 | 4 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 4 | |||||
| Total | 47 | 5 | — | — | 10 | 2 | — | 57 | 7 | |||||
| Lanús | 2014 | Argentine Primera División | 15 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 27 | 0 | — | 5 | 3 | 4[c] | 1 | — | 36 | 4 | ||||
| 2016 | 16 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 58 | 0 | — | 7 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 72 | 4 | |||
| Milan | 2016–17 | Serie A | 18 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 18 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | ||||
| Palmeiras (loan) | 2018 | Série A | 14 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 3[f] | 1 | — | 17 | 3 | ||
| 2019 | 22 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10[f] | 1 | — | 42 | 5 | |||
| Palmeiras | 2020 | 21 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 13[f] | 2 | 2[g] | 0 | 56 | 6 | |
| 2021 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12[f] | 1 | 5[h] | 0 | 42 | 3 | ||
| 2022 | 30 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12[f] | 2 | 1[d] | 0 | 58 | 11 | ||
| 2023 | 32 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 11[f] | 3 | 1[i] | 0 | 63 | 6 | ||
| 2024 | 27 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8[f] | 2 | 1[i] | 0 | 46 | 3 | ||
| 2025 | 27 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11[f] | 2 | 4[g] | 0 | 53 | 5 | ||
| 2026 | 16 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[f] | 0 | — | 33 | 3 | |||
| Total | 209 | 23 | 75 | 4 | 26 | 5 | 86 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 410 | 46 | ||
| Career total | 332 | 28 | 75 | 4 | 34 | 7 | 102 | 17 | 16 | 0 | 559 | 56 | ||
- Includes Campeonato Paulista
- Includes Copa Argentina, Coppa Italia, Copa do Brasil
- Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
- Appearances in Recopa Sudamericana
- Appearance in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- One appearance in Supercopa do Brasil, two appearances in Recopa Sudamericana, two appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup
- Appearance in Supercopa do Brasil
International
- As of match played 26 June 2026[12]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paraguay | 2013 | 3 | 1 |
| 2014 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 92 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Paraguay's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gómez goal.[12]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 September 2013 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Bolivia | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 5 March 2014 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica |  Costa Rica | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 9 June 2019 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Guatemala | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 2 July 2021 | Estádio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiânia, Brazil |  Peru | 1–0 | 3–3 (3–4 p) | 2021 Copa América |
Honours
Libertad
Lanus
Milan
Palmeiras
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2018, 2022, 2023
- Copa do Brasil: 2020
- Supercopa do Brasil: 2023
- Copa Libertadores: 2020, 2021
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2022
- Campeonato Paulista: 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026
- FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2021
Individual
- U-20 South American Championship Team of the Tournament: 2013
- Paraguayan Primera División Team of the Season: 2013
- Copa Argentina Team of the Season: 2014–15
- Argentine Primera División Team of the Season: 2016
- Bola de Prata: 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024
- Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament: 2020,[13] 2021,[14] 2022,[15] 2025[16]
- Troféu Mesa Redonda Team of the Year: 2020,[17] 2025[18]
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2020,[19] 2021,[20] 2022[21]
- South America Team of the Year: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025
- Paraguayan Footballer of the Year: 2021
- IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Year: 2021
- Campeonato Paulista Team of the Year: 2022,[22] 2023,[23] 2026
See also
Notes
In isolation, Gómez is pronounced [ˈɡomes].