Nuno Gomes was born Nuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro on 5 July
1976 in Oporto. He is a striker who plays for the Portugal
national football team and currently plays for Benfica. He uses
the name Gomes after his childhood hero Fernando Gomes. A
striker who works tirelessly for his team-mates, Nuno Gomes's
star shone bright at UEFA Euro 2000™ but he has experienced
mixed fortunes since.
Having represented Portugal at every level from Under-15 upwards,
he made his full international debut aged 19 in a 1996 friendly
against France. He scored for his country at that summer's
Atlanta Olympics but had to wait four years for his first senior
international goal. The timing couldn't have been better: in
Portugal's opening match at EURO 2000 he marked his fourth
start with the winner in a 3-2 victory. Scored four goals
overall as Portugal reached the last four but earned a seven-month
international ban after pushing referee Gunter Benko following
the semi-final defeat by France. Has since struggled to hold
down a starting place and appeared twice as a substitute during
the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Things went better for him in EURO 2004
when, after coming on as a half time substitute, he scored the
winning goal against rivals Spain send Portugal through to the
second round. |
