Alejandro Darío 'Papu' Gómez is one of the signings of this winter in Europe. The Argentine, after being presented graphically, gave his first words to the official Sevilla media: “It was all a bit surprising. For me it is a new adventure to come here, to a great club like Sevilla. It means changing your life completely in another country, but I am very happy and enthusiastic. “
“Surely coming to another league is going to be a challenge for me. I have to begin to know how to play here, although I am and have always been a fan of this football. It will be a very nice adventure and what I want is to achieve important things with Sevilla and try to improve everything that this club has achieved, “he added.
Papu Gómez, with the ball in his new stadium.
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The Argentine offers to play as soon as Julen Lopetegui wants and where the Basque coach places him: “Surely I lack the rhythm of the game, which gives you 90 minutes, but I was training with the second team of Atalanta and I just have to catch that rhythm. In recent years I have played in all positions from the center of the field to the front. Whatever the coach wants, I am available. I have played in the wings, midfielder, midfielder … I think I can do well “.
And he is not afraid of being compared to Éver Banega: “It is a compliment that they compare me to Ever. I admire him a lot and have known him for many years. We share a U-20 World Cup and for me it is a phenomenon. Maybe we are different as players, but that responsibility, that leadership … I think I had it in every club and I love to catch the ball and try to be the one to decide the pass or important situations. It's a nice responsibility for me. “
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* Data updated as of January 28, 2021
Being 32 years old, 33 in mid-February, have been the only downside that some have put to his signing. Papu does not consider it a problem: “Today the footballer's career took a long time. If you take care of yourself and you did not have serious injuries, Any player who proposes it, takes care of himself and rests can play until he is 38 or 39. Then there is the ambition to want to continue playing every three days in major competitions. That forces a certain rhythm of life, know your body and rest. The head does everything and today there are many players my age and older who still make a difference “.
Papu already said for a few months that he wanted to play for Sevilla one day. And it has been fulfilled: “I don't know if it is destiny, but I coincided with many boys who have played here and others who have lived. They have spoken to me very well about Sevilla as a club and as a city. They asked me which club in Spain I would like to play for and I heard so many good things that it came naturally to me. I have been following Sevilla on Instagram for a long time to see the results and the news. I like and am excited about the enthusiasm of the people. It's incredible that today, after ten months, I'm here. “
AS published this Thursday that Diego Pablo Simeone, Atlético's coach, has requested his signing several times. Papu recognizes it. He already coincided with Cholo in San Lorenzo de Almagro and then in Catania more than a decade ago: “Before I went to the Metalist of Ukraine (2013) Atlético del Cholo, Inter loved me … El Cholo in my career was very important because it caught me in a period perhaps of rebellion. I was 20 years old and I wanted to do things that I thought were right and they weren't. From his experience he helped me a lot, especially in football. He would always tell me how he would have to play when he arrived in Europe and we would discuss it, but in the end they bought me in Italy to play the way I played with him in San Lorenzo. Then Simeone comes to Catania and makes me grow even more. His entire coaching staff are people I admire and who made me grow. “
Sevilla has an important connection with Argentina: “This club has a very beautiful history with many Argentines who have passed through. Each one has left their mark and I hope it will be my turn to contribute a little to this history and leave my mark here as well. Maradona played here and for the Argentines I am proud to be able to wear a shirt that Diego also wore “.
The midfielder compared Atalanta and his new club: “Obviously Sevilla have been entering the Champions League for years very often and have won many European titles. They have this history in recent years, but there is that parallel of a team perhaps not called 'great' that wants to be fighting in the top positions. Sevilla did very well in recent times. “
Papu had exotic and very juicy offers economically, but he did not pay attention: “Honestly, I was never interested in the economic part. I have had proposals to leave Atalanta for Arab teams, but I always tried to find the football part that made me happy. For the rest there is time and I think I am in a very good moment, in a stage of maturity in my career and in my life and I wanted to continue playing at a competitive level, being in the national team and being able to compete in a major league like the Spanish and a major club like this. When the opportunity to come here was given, I didn't think about it “
Of course, he was questioned by the now famous Papu Dance: “I did it with some youtubers from Italy to help an academy for disabled boys. At first it was for testing, but it ended up being something great that exploded and appeared all over the world. We won a gold record and a platinum record. We never thought it would take that dimension, but I am very happy. Of course, at times I was getting tired, because on the birthdays of my children's friends that sounded instead of nursery rhymes and they all asked me to dance it. “
His physique had an influence on his usual football references: “I always say that I wanted to imitate Pablo Aimar because he was a benchmark in my position and when he played for River I was 12 years old. Being short he tried to imitate him, D'Alessandro, Saviola, Ariel Ortega … all those hookups. “