Fernando Mendes Soares Gomes (22 November 1956 – 26 November 2022) was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a striker.
He achieved great success with Porto, during the late 1970s and 1980s. He represented Sporting CP in the Primeira Liga as well, and also spent two years in Spain with Sporting de Gijón.
The recipient of nearly 50 caps for Portugal, Gomes represented the nation in one World Cup and one European Championship.
Club career After entering Porto's youth academy, Porto-born Gomes scored twice in his first-team debut in 1974, scoring twice in a 2–1 win over CUF. Except for a two-year stint in La Liga with Sporting de Gijón (nearly one year of inactivity due to tendonitis), when most key players left the Estádio das Antas in support of director of football – later president – Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, he was in all important moments of the rebirth of the club: the 20-year Primeira Liga drought end in the 1978–79 season, the first UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final against Juventus in 1984 and, while he missed the 1987 final of the European Cup against Bayern Munich after breaking a leg in training days before, he netted five times in the side's victorious campaign, including once in the semi-finals with Dynamo Kyiv; he still recovered in time to play in the European Supercup against Ajax and the Intercontinental Cup against Peñarol, on both occasions captaining the winner and scoring the opening goal in the latter game for a 2–1 victory.
In addition, Gomes also won five leagues, three Portuguese Cups and three domestic supercups. Due to personality clashes with Porto's board of directors, he signed with Sporting CP, ending his career in 1990–91 after still netting 22 goals in his final season and also helping the Lions to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, aged 34.
Gomes retired with Portuguese League totals of 404 matches and 319 goals. His nickname, "Bi-bota", was given after the two European Golden Boot awards he received, in 1983 and 1985. He remained the best goalscorer in the national territory for more than two decades only behind Benfica's Nené, and later returned to Porto, going on to work with the club in an ambassadorial role.
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 + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsPorto1974–75Primeira Divisão24142321—28181975–76Primeira Divisão23102231—28131976–77Primeira Divisão28266810—35341977–78Primeira Divisão25257411—33301978–79Primeira Divisão29271021—32281979–80Primeira Divisão29235542103930Total158125232213610195153Sporting Gijón1980–81La Liga4100——411981–82La Liga2311103——3314Total2712103——3715Porto1982–83Primeira Divisão293661341—39501983–84Primeira Divisão232151840036261984–85Primeira Divisão303963224242461985–86Primeira Divisão302041402040211986–87Primeira Divisão262153852241311987–88Primeira Divisão302140103138221988–89Primeira Divisão155213000206Total18316332223012115256202Sporting CP1989–90Primeira Divisão2691020—2991990–91Primeira Divisão372232105—5029Total633142125—7938Career Total43133168495523125567408
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsPortugal197540197600197710197841197940198011198100198221198370198492198574198662198711198821Total4813
Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gomes goal. + List of international goals scored by Fernando GomesNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 11 October 1978 Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying2 26 March 1980 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 1–3 1–4 UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying3 10 October 1982 Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal 2–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying4 6 September 1984 Estádio do Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal 1–0 1–0 Friendly5 12 September 1984 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholms län, Sweden 1–0 1–0 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification6 10 February 1985 National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta 2–0 3–1 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification7 3–18 12 October 1985 Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal 1–0 3–2 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification9 3–210 5 February 1986 Estádio Municipal de Portimão, Portimão, Portugal 2–0 2–0 Friendly11 19 February 1986 Estádio 1º de Maio, Braga, Portugal 1–3 1–3 Friendly12 23 September 1987 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholms län, Sweden 1–0 1–0 UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying13 16 November 1988 Estádio do Bessa, Porto, Portugal 1–0 1–0 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Porto Primeira Divisão: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88 Taça de Portugal: 1976–77, 1983–84, 1987–88 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1983, 1984, 1986 European Cup: 1986–87 European Super Cup: 1987 Intercontinental Cup: 1987
Individual Bola de Prata: 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85 Taça de Portugal top scorer: 1979–80, 1982–83 European Golden Shoe: 1983, 1985 Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 1983
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