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Costa Rican footballer (born 1975) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rónald Gómez Gómez (born 24 January 1975) is a retired Costa Rican football forward and manager. He is the current manager for Liga Nacional club Achuapa.
 Gómez in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rónald Gómez Gómez[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 24 January 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Puntarenas, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Achuapa (Manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1994 | Carmelita | 27 | (9) |
| 1994–1996 | Alajuelense | 68 | (45) |
| 1996–1997 | Sporting Gijón | 21 | (2) |
| 1997–1998 | Hércules | 11 | (4) |
| 1998–1999 | Municipal | (22) | |
| 1999–2002 | OFI | 87 | (39) |
| 2002–2003 | Al Qadsia | (2) | |
| 2004 | → Irapuato (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| 2004–2006 | Saprissa | 61 | (13) |
| 2006–2007 | APOEL | 20 | (4) |
| 2007–2008 | Saprissa | 28 | (4) |
| 2009 | Santos de Guápiles | 14 | (2) |
| Total | 353 | (148) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993–2008 | Costa Rica | 93 | (26) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009 | Carmelita | ||
| 2010 | Santos de Guápiles | ||
| 2011 | Deportivo Cartagena | ||
| 2012 | Juventud Escazuceña | ||
| 2013 | Halcones | ||
| 2014 | Limón | ||
| 2016–2018 | Xelajú | ||
| 2018–2021 | Malacateco | ||
| 2021–2022 | Costa Rica (assistant) | ||
| 2023 | Santa Lucía | ||
| 2023–2024 | Apollon Smyrnis | ||
| 2024- | Achuapa | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
An important player on the Costa Rica national football team during the 1990s and 2000s, Gómez is regarded as one of Costa Rica's best forwards, known for his rocket shots and top dribbling.
Gómez is, along with Paulo Wanchope, the top scorer for Costa Rica in the FIFA World Cup with three goals.[3]
Born in Puntarenas as the 12th child of Francisca Gómez, he was raised in the village Pilas de Canjel in Guanacaste Province.[4]
Nicknamed La Bala (The Bullit), Gómez started his career at Carmelita and scored his first league goal on 20 September 1992 against Saprissa.[5] He then scored 45 goals for Alajuelense before moving abroad.
He has played in 6 different countries: in Spain with Sporting Gijón[6] and Hercules of Alicante, in Guatemala with Municipal,[7] in Greece with OFI,[8] in Kuwait with Al Qadsia, in Mexico with Irapuato[9] and in Cyprus with APOEL[10] where he won the Cypriot First Division.[11]
In the summer of 1999, Greek OFI made the decision to sign Ronald Gómez from Guatemalan club Municipal, marking the Costa Rican striker's return to Europe after spells with Sporting de Gijón and Hércules CF. Despite some hesitation from the Cretan club due to the risks involved, the transfer was completed within a matter of hours, and Gómez quickly established himself as one of the most significant players to have graced Greek football during that era.[12]
Known as a classic "number 9" of the 1990s, Gómez became a cult figure in Greece due to his exceptional goal-scoring ability. He made a lasting impact on OFI, scoring 48 goals in 105 appearances. His performance helped lead the team to the UEFA Cup in the 2000–01 season, thanks to an impressive tally of 19 goals that season.
One of his most memorable moments came with a stunning goal against Proodeftiki, considered one of the finest in Greek football history. Gómez’s tenure at OFIcemented his legacy, and he remains a beloved figure among the club’s supporters.[12]
With Saprissa, he has won 4 national championship; and 1 CONCACAF Champions Cup, and was part of the team that played the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup where Saprissa finished third behind São Paulo and Liverpool.[13] He scored the winning goal in the final minutes of the game that Saprissa won in order to achieve the third place of the tournament against Al-Ittihad. His goal was considered among the best of the cup.
In June 2009, Gómez came out of playing retirement for a final season at Santos after he was relegated to the second division as manager of Carmelita.[14] After the season, he became manager of Santos.[15]
Gómez made his debut for Costa Rica in a February 1993 UNCAF Nations Cup qualification match against Nicaragua and earned a total of 93 caps, scoring 26 goals.[16] He represented his country in 27 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and figured at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.[13] He also played at the 1993[17] and 2001 UNCAF Nations Cups[18] as well as at the 1993,[19] 2000[20] and 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup[21] and the 1997,[22] 2001,[23] and 2004 Copa América.[24]
His final international was a March 2008 friendly match against Peru.
He made his debut as manager of Carmelita in January 2009.[5] In October 2010 he was dismissed by Santos de Guápiles[25] and he later managed second division sides Deportivo Cartagena[26] and Juventud Escazuceña.[27] In September 2013, he took charge of Guatemalan side Halcones[28] and in May 2014 he returned to Costa Rica to take charge at Limón.[29]
In August 2023, Ronald Gómez, a former OFI player, returned to Greece as the head coach of Apollon Smyrnis, a team that was preparing for the upcoming season in the Greek Football League (Gamma Ethniki). His appointment marked the return of a familiar face to Greek football, having been one of the top strikers for OFI during his playing career between 1999 and 2003.[30] Prior to joining Apollon Smyrnis, Gómez had managed Santa Lucia F.C. in Guatemala. However, his tenure with Apollon Smyrnis ended on 28 February 2024.[31]
After his departure from Apollon Smyrnis, Gómez took on the role of head coach at Deportivo Achuapa in Guatemala, where he began a new challenge, aiming to lead the team to the final phase of the Torneo Clausura 2024.[32]
He is married to Gina Soto and they have two sons, Esteban and Daniel.[33]
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