In the middle of a holiday for Argentine soccer, a product of the first anniversary of the world championship achieved in Qatar, the protagonists of the achievement expressed themselves on social networks throughout the day. Among them, Alejandro Gómez, who is going through a particular situation these days. The former San Lorenzo player is suspended for doping (in principle, until October 2025) for ingesting a syrup for children that contained terbutaline without informing Sevilla, the club where he played in November 2022, when he tested positive. The sanction was only known in October of this year, when he had already signed for Monza in Italy.
Papu Gómez’s message
“Today, December 18, we were world champions! We were able to give joy to our people after so many years. Sacrifice, work, sweat and tears, all of that was worth it to crown our dream. Thank you to each of the Argentines for being there supporting us “and thank you for still being here. This is forever… We dyed every corner of the world blue and white and it was proven that when we are together we are stronger. Hold on Argentina!!! First anniversary of many, enjoy it. Big hug ❤️”, he wrote the one that emerged from Arsenal de Sarandí. In addition, he added a series of photos and videos.
Papu’s message received more than 273 thousand likes, however, among which those of several journalists who were at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar stand out. However, only one of his colleagues accompanied him in his publication.
The future of Papu
After the World Cup, where he suffered a problem with one of his ankles and then had to undergo surgery, being absent during the first months of 2023, Papu did not hit one. He could not be called up by Lionel Scaloni in the first two friendlies of the National Team in March and then lost ground in the coach’s consideration due to his limited experience in Seville. And, already in the second half of the year, due to doping.
What did Scaloni say a month ago? “I spoke with Papu. What is happening to him is screwed, I think he is going to appeal. He is a boy who has given us a lot and we are grateful to them. We give him all our support,” commented the coach. And he had added: “I have a great relationship with him. I was his teammate at Atalanta, beyond being a coach. We are grateful for what he gave us.”
Draw Martínez, the only one who gave Papu a “like”
Months ago there was talk of a conflict between Gómez and his former teammates. The truth is that, after the World Cup, all types of feedback between Papu and the Qatari champions were cut off. Only Leandro Paredes, one of the historic members of the National Team, referred to the issue in an interview and denied any type of conflict: “The thing about Papu Gómez is a rumor that was said on the Internet and I don’t know why. We don’t give it any thought because We know what the press is like. When things are going very well, they have to speak something to mobilize that well-being. So we try not to listen and continue with our thing. We are doing very well as a group, as a National Team, as a team. We enjoy what we We are living and what can happen, we try to ignore the external aspects.”
Despite the words of the La Roma player, it is striking that Gómez’s message on Instagram for the anniversary of Argentina World Champion barely received a “I like it” by Dibu Martínez. The other 25 players of the National Team did not demonstrate.