Fernando Gomes

International career For the Portugal national team, Gomes scored 13 goals in 48 games from 9 March 1975 until 16 November 1988. His final appearance occurred against Luxembourg for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, netting the only goal at the Estádio do Bessa.

Gomes was part of the squads at both UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1986 World Cup, reaching the semi-finals of the former tournament, being one of the few players that did not defect from the national side after the latter competition (following the infamous Saltillo Affair) and ending his international career two years later.

Style of play Apart from being a technically gifted player and a prolific goalscorer, Gomes' talent resided on a fantastic positional sense, which made him very dangerous inside the six-yard box, and earned him a reputation as a "poacher" in the media. In 2023, Tom Hancock of FourFourTwo magazine considered him to be one of the best strikers of the 1980s.

Personal life and death Gomes once quoted: "Scoring a goal is like having an orgasm." Benfica striker Nuno Gomes, who played in the 1990s and 2000s, chose the nickname "Gomes" in deference to him.

On 17 January 2020, Gomes' daughter Filipa died in mysterious circumstances. She worked in the fashion industry, and was 32.

On 26 November 2022, Gomes died of pancreatic cancer, four days after his 66th birthday. He had been fighting the disease for the three years prior to his death.

Career statistics Club

Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gomes goal. + List of international goals scored by Fernando Gomes Taça de Portugal top scorer: 1979–80, 1982–83 European Golden Shoe: 1983, 1985 Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 1983