Jordi Gómez

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gómez and the second or maternal family name is García-Penche.

Jordi Gómez García-Penche (born 24 May 1985) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder.

Jordi Gómez

Gómez playing for Swansea City in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Jordi Gómez García-Penche
Date of birth	(1985-05-24) 24 May 1985 (age 39)[1]
Place of birth	Barcelona, Spain[1]
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s)	Central midfielder
Youth career
	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2006	Barcelona C
2005–2007	Barcelona B	59	(6)
2006	Barcelona	0	(0)
2007–2008	Espanyol B	22	(10)
2008–2009	Espanyol	3	(0)
2008–2009	→ Swansea City (loan)	44	(12)
2009–2014	Wigan Athletic	127	(17)
2014–2016	Sunderland	35	(4)
2016	→ Blackburn Rovers (loan)	19	(3)
2016–2017	Wigan Athletic	15	(3)
2017	Rayo Vallecano	12	(0)
2017–2018	Levski Sofia	35	(4)
2018–2022	Omonia	93	(12)
2023	Omonia 29M	11	(1)
International career
2001	Spain U17	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:29, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

After playing for the reserve teams of both Barcelona and Espanyol, he went on to spend the majority of his career in England, mainly with Wigan Athletic, with whom he won the FA Cup in 2013.

Club career

Early years

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Gómez emerged through Barcelona's youth ranks, and played once for the first team in competitive games, coming on for Thiago Motta in the 68th minute of a 6–0 win against Zamora in the Copa del Rey, on 11 January 2006.^[3]

Gómez completed his formation with neighbours Espanyol, and made his official debut with the latter in a 4–0 away defeat to Real Murcia on 23 March 2008.^[4] He appeared in a further two La Liga matches during his tenure, always as a second-half substitute.

Swansea City

On 6 June 2008, Gómez signed for Swansea City of the Football League Championship on a season-long loan, for a fee of £200,000;^[5] teammate Albert Serrán also made the move, albeit in a permanent situation. He scored the winning goal with a deflected free kick against rivals Cardiff City on 23 September, in the first South Wales derby for seven years.^[6]

Gómez was described by scouts as having "a lovely ability to receive the ball in space or if he is marked tightly, find space after his first touch".^[7] Whilst on loan, reports surfaced that Swansea wanted to sign him permanently^[8] and other teams were supposedly interested in acquiring his services,^[9][10] but nothing came of it, as manager Roberto Martínez eventually announced the club would not be able to retain the player due to his high price tag.^[11][12][13]

Wigan Athletic

Gómez finished the season with 14 goals in all competitions and returned to Espanyol, being immediately sold to Premier League side Wigan Athletic on a three-year contract on 19 June 2009, with the transfer fee estimated to be in the region of £1.7 million – the move also meant he would be reunited with former Swansea boss, countryman Martínez.^[14] He made his debut in a 2–0 victory over Aston Villa on 15 August,^[15] and netted his first goal for the club against Birmingham City on 5 December, albeit in a 2–3 home loss.^[16]

Gómez scored his second league goal in a 2–0 defeat of Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2010. However, during the match, he escaped suffering a leg injury after a challenge from Karl Henry.^[17][18]

On 17 December 2011, Gómez scored the equaliser for the hosts in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea, his fourth goal in five league games.^[19][20] He netted the second goal at Arsenal in the eighth minute of an eventual 2–1 away win on 16 April 2012 at the Emirates Stadium,^[21] and the Latics once again managed to avoid relegation.^[22]

On 28 August 2012, Gómez scored once as Wigan defeated Nottingham Forest 4–1 away to reach the third round of the Football League Cup.^[23] On 24 November he netted a hat-trick to help his club win 3–2 at home against Reading at the DW Stadium,^[24] becoming just the second Spaniard to achieve the feat in the Premier League after Fernando Torres.^[25][26]

On 9 March 2013, Gómez provided the cross from which Maynor Figueroa opened the scoring at Everton, and he himself added the final 3–0 for his team's third goal in as many minutes, in an eventual qualification to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.^[27] He helped them win the competition, being replaced after 81 minutes by Ben Watson, who went on to score the winning goal;^[28] however, only three days later, with him on the pitch again, the side were relegated from the top division following a 1–4 away defeat to Arsenal.^[29]

Gómez remained at Wigan for their first season back in the Championship, and also took part in the club's inaugural campaign in the UEFA Europa League. On 12 December 2013, in the last group stage match, he scored a penalty kick to put his team ahead at Maribor, but the Slovene ultimately won 2–1.^[30]

Sunderland

On 29 May 2014, Gómez signed a three-year deal with Sunderland on a free transfer after his contract at Wigan expired.^[31] He made his debut on 16 August, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for Jack Rodwell in a 2–2 draw away to West Bromwich Albion,^[32] and scored his first goal 11 days later August in a 3–0 League Cup second round victory at Birmingham City.^[33]

Gómez scored his first league goal for his new team on 3 November, the second in a 3–1 away win over Crystal Palace.^[34] His third goal of the campaign came on 13 December, where he scored a penalty to open the scoring in a 1–1 draw at home to West Ham United.^[35]

On 3 February 2015, Gómez netted another penalty in a 3–1 win at Fulham in an FA Cup fourth round replay.^[36] On 2 May, again from 12 yards, he scored once in each half as the Black Cats defeated Southampton 2–1 at the Stadium of Light.^[37] The following week, his shot was deflected in by Danny Graham to give the latter his first Sunderland goal, in a 2–0 away victory over Everton;^[38] still in that month, he was ruled out for the last three games of the season with a fractured kneecap.^[39]

In the last minutes of the 2016 winter transfer window, after making only six appearances in the first half of the season, Gómez was loaned to Championship club Blackburn Rovers until June.^[40] He scored in his debut on 6 February, helping to a 1–1 draw at Middlesbrough.^[41] Three weeks later he netted twice, including a last-minute winner from a 30-yard free kick in a 3–2 win against Milton Keynes Dons at Ewood Park.^[42]

Three clubs in two years

On 17 August 2016, Gómez rejoined Wigan Athletic on a one-year contract.^[43] He returned to Spain after nearly nine years on 31 January 2017, signing with Rayo Vallecano of the Segunda División.^[44]

Gómez moved to Bulgarian club Levski Sofia on 6 July 2017, on a two-year deal.^[45]

Omonia

On 16 August 2018, Gómez joined Omonia of the Cypriot First Division on a two-year contract.^[46] Already as team captain, he agreed to extensions until 2021 and 2022.^[47][48]

Gómez team was leading the 2019–20 championship when the season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic; although they were not awarded the title, they did secure a place in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League.^[49]

The following campaign proved successful for team and player, as Gómez helped them qualify for the group stage of a European competition for the first time in history.^[50] On 29 October 2020, he scored a goal from inside his own half in a 2–1 home loss against PSV in the Europa League, breaking the record for the furthest distance for a goal ever scored in the competition.^[51] He ended the domestic league as a champion, Omonia's first in 11 years.^[52]

On 25 November 2021, Gómez scored again from inside his own half in the 89th minute of a 2–2 away draw at Qarabağ in the Europa Conference League.^[53] The following February, he suffered a ruptured knee ligament which kept him out of action for several months.^[54] He scored his last goal for the club on 5 January in the 1–1 away draw against Pafos,^[55] and in May it was announced that the 37-year-old would not be retained.^[56]

Later career

Gómez signed a one-year deal with Cypriot Second Division side PAC Omonia 29M in November 2022, effective as of the following 1 January.^[57]

Career statistics

As of end of 2022–23 season

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Barcelona B	2004–05[58]	Segunda División B	2	0	—		—		—		—		2	0
	2005–06[59]	Segunda División B	36	6	—		—		—		—		36	6
	2006–07[60]	Segunda División B	21	0	—		—		—		—		21	0
	Total		59	6	—		—		—		—		59	6
Barcelona	2005–06[59]	La Liga	0	0	1	0	—		0	0	0	0	1	0
Espanyol B	2007–08[61]	Segunda División B	22	10	—		—		—		—		22	10
Espanyol	2007–08[61]	La Liga	3	0	0	0	—		—		—		3	0
Swansea City (loan)	2008–09[62]	Championship	44	12	3	0	4	2	—		—		51	14
Wigan Athletic	2009–10[63]	Premier League	23	1	2	0	0	0	—		—		25	1
	2010–11[64]	Premier League	13	1	3	0	4	2	—		—		20	3
	2011–12[65]	Premier League	28	5	1	0	0	0	—		—		29	5
	2012–13[66]	Premier League	32	3	7	3	3	2	—		—		42	8
	2013–14[67]	Championship	31	7	5	3	1	0	6[lower-alpha 1]	1	3[lower-alpha 2]	0	46	11
	Total		127	17	18	6	8	4	6	1	3	0	162	28
Sunderland	2014–15[68]	Premier League	29	4	2	1	2	1	—		—		33	6
	2015–16[69]	Premier League	6	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		6	0
	Total		35	4	2	1	2	1	—		—		39	6
Blackburn Rovers (loan)	2015–16[70]	Championship	19	3	0	0	0	0	—		—		19	3
Wigan Athletic	2016–17[71]	Championship	15	3	1	0	0	0	—		—		16	3
Rayo Vallecano	2016–17[71]	Segunda División	12	0	0	0	—		—		—		12	0
Levski Sofia	2017–18[71]	First League	31	4	6	1	—		2[lower-alpha 1]	0	—		39	5
	2018–19[71]	First League	4	0	0	0	—		2[lower-alpha 1]	0	—		6	0
	Total		35	4	6	1	0	0	4	0	—		45	5
Omonia	2018–19[71]	Cypriot First Division	30	8	2	0	—		—		—		32	8
	2019–20[71]	Cypriot First Division	20	3	2	0	—		—		—		22	3
	2020–21[71]	Cypriot First Division	30	0	1	0	—		10[lower-alpha 3]	3	—		41	3
	2021–22[71]	Cypriot First Division	13	1	0	0	—		11[lower-alpha 4]	2	1[lower-alpha 5]	0	25	3
	Total		93	12	5	0	0	0	21	5	1	0	120	17
Omonia 29M	2022–23[72]	Cypriot Second Division	11	1	0	0	—		—		—		11	1
Career total			469	71	36	8	14	7	31	6	4	0	554	92

1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
2. One appearance in FA Community Shield, two appearances in Championship play-offs
3. Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League
4. Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League, five appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa Conference League
5. Appearance in Cypriot Super Cup

Honours

Wigan Athletic

• FA Cup: 2012–13^[28]

Omonia

• Cypriot First Division: 2020–21^[52]
• Cypriot Cup: 2021–22^[71]
• Cypriot Super Cup: 2021^[71]

Individual

• Football League Championship Team of the Year: 2008–09^[73]
• Wigan Athletic Player of the Year: 2013–14^[74]

References

1. "Jordi Gómez". Eurosport. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
2. "Jordi Gomez". Sunderland A.F.C. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
3. Guisasola, Carlos (11 January 2006). "El Barça aumenta el récord por inercia" [Barça extend record through inertia]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2016.
4. "Murcia 4–0 Espanyol". ESPN Soccernet. 23 March 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
5. "Spanish duo complete Liberty move". BBC Sport. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
6. "Swansea 1–0 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
7. Claridge, Steve (24 February 2009). "Scouting report: Jordi Gómez, Swansea City". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
8. Burton, Chris (25 March 2009). "Swans keen to keep Gomez". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
9. Acedo, Francisco (28 May 2009). "Boro linked with Gomez". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
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11. Galea, Chris (27 April 2009). "Swans – No bid for Gomez". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
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21. "Wigan shock misfiring Gunners". ESPN Soccernet. 16 April 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
22. Dawkes, Phil (7 May 2012). "Blackburn have been relegated to the Championship after losing at home to Wigan, whose Premier League status is secure for next season". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
23. "Nott'm Forest 1–4 Wigan: First-half blitz helps Latics dodge banana-skin". Daily Mirror. London. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
24. Johnston, Neil (24 November 2012). "Wigan 3–2 Reading". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
25. "Jordi Gomez expresses joy at scoring a hat-trick against Reading". Sky Sports. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
26. "Premier League Team of the Week: Hat-trick hero Gomez joins Anderson & Reina". Goal. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
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34. Higginson, Marc (3 November 2014). "Crystal Palace 1–3 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
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38. Strickland, Jamie (9 May 2015). "Everton 0–2 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
39. "Dick Advocaat backs Liam Bridcutt for Sunderland's showdown against Leicester". Sunderland Echo. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
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41. Walker, Michael (6 February 2016). "David Nugent earns Middlesbrough point against Blackburn Rovers". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
42. "Jordi Gomez saves the best for last as Blackburn beat MK Dons". Eurosport. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
43. Mennear, Richard (17 August 2016). "Sunderland midfielder re-joins Wigan Athletic". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
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45. "Жорди Гомес подписа за две години с ПФК Левски" [Jordi Gómez signed for two years with PFC Levski] (in Bulgarian). Levski Sofia. 6 July 2017. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
46. "Καταρχήν συμφωνία με Jordi Gomez" [Agreement in principle with Jordi Gómez] (in Greek). AC Omonia. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
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48. "Στην ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ και τη νέα σεζόν ο Τζιόρντι Γκόμεθ!" [Jordi Gómez at OMONIA and the new season!] (in Greek). AC Omonia. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
49. Kiliaris, Kyriacos (30 May 2020). "Project Omonia FC expands to Europe". Financial Mirror. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
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51. Fernandez, Gabriel (29 October 2020). "UEFA Europa League produces another crazy goal from halfway line -- this time from Jordi Gomez vs. PSV". CBS Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
52. Rubio, Alberto (20 May 2021). "Jordi Gómez: de ganar la FA Cup con el Wigan a campeón de Liga en Chipre con Omonia" [Jordi Gómez: from winning the FA Cup with Wigan to being League champion in Cyprus with Omonia]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 June 2021.
53. "Μαγεία Γκόμεθ… παλικαρίσιος βαθμός" (in Greek). 24 Sports. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
54. Kallis, Kostas (5 February 2022). "Τεράστιο πλήγμα με Γκόμεθ, σε αναμμένα "κάρβουνα" στην Ομόνοια" (in Greek). Phile News. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
55. "Ο Γκόμεθ πήρε την μπουκιά από την Πάφο και χάρισε τον βαθμό στην Ομόνοια" [Gómez took a bite at Paphos and rescued point for Omonia] (in Greek). Omada. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
56. "Αρχηγέ, ήρθε η ώρα για το πιο μεγάλο ευχαριστώ!" [Chief, it's time for the biggest thank you!] (in Greek). AC Omonia. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
57. "Επίσημο: Ο Τζόρντι Γκόμεθ στην Ομόνοια 29ης Μαΐου!" [Official: Jordi Gómez to Omonia 29 May!] (in Greek). Phile News. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
58. "Jordi Gómez: Jordi Gómez García-Penche: 2004–05". BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
59. "Jordi Gómez: Jordi Gómez García-Penche: 2005–06". BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
60. "Jordi Gómez: Jordi Gómez García-Penche: 2006–07". BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
61. "Jordi Gómez: Jordi Gómez García-Penche: 2007–08". BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
62. "Games played by Jordi Gomez in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
63. "Games played by Jordi Gomez in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
64. "Games played by Jordi Gomez in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
65. "Games played by Jordi Gomez in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
66. "Games played by Jordi Gomez in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
67. "Games played by Jordi Gomez in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
68. "Games played by Jordi Gomez in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
69. "Games played by Jordi Gomez in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
70. "Games played by Jordi Gomez in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
71. "Jordi Gómez". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
72. "Jordi Gomez Garcia Penche". Cyprus Football Association. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
73. "Two Coventry City players in Championship team of the year". Coventry Telegraph. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
74. Taylor, Louise (29 May 2014). "Sunderland sign Jordi Gómez from Wigan on free transfer". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 June 2014.

External links

• Levski Sofia official profile
• Jordi Gómez at BDFutbol
• Jordi Gómez at Soccerbase