In Columbus, where André Gomes is approaching the later stretch of a career that has carried him from Lisbon to Barcelona, Valencia, Liverpool and now Ohio, the Portuguese midfielder reflected on Lionel Messi’s retirement with the perspective of a former teammate. Gomes said he feels privileged to have shared a dressing room, trophies and defining moments with Argentina’s great No. 10.
“I have been fortunate to experience so much alongside him and to win trophies with him,” Gomes said during a virtual media appearance on Thursday. “It is unquestionably a historic moment.”
Gomes spent two seasons with Messi at Barcelona, collecting a La Liga title, two Copa del Rey trophies and the Spanish Super Cup. The 33-year-old said the end of Messi’s playing career is difficult for those who have watched the finest generation of the modern game, adding that his respect for the Argentine is something he will never forget.
“For supporters, and for those of us who have been able to watch and enjoy these exceptional players, it is sad to know that they will eventually stop playing,” he said.
The Columbus Crew midfielder belongs to a small group of players to have worked beside both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He was also part of Portugal’s squad for their Euro 2016 triumph, while his own senior career began under Jorge Jesus at Benfica in 2012.
A delicate Portugal question
Asked about the current dispute involving Ronaldo and Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, Gomes chose caution. He described it as a “very delicate” situation because it concerns a national-team dressing room he knows closely.
Jesus gave Gomes his professional debut with Benfica, making the coach’s place in the midfielder’s story particularly personal. Fourteen years on, Gomes has arrived in Major League Soccer, joining Columbus in February as he continues the final phase of his playing career.
The Crew’s opening to the season was uneven, but consecutive victories have moved the Ohio side to within four points of the Eastern Conference’s play-in positions. A larger date waits on 21 October, when Columbus meet St. Louis City in the US Open Cup final. Beyond the domestic cup, victory would bring qualification for the next edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
