Nuno Gomes was born Nuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro on 5 July,1976 in Amarante , district of Porto. 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.

The National team

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.

Club

Born in north-west Portugal, he established his reputation with Boavista FC, where he made his debut in the 1994/95 season. Nuno Gomes collected his first silverware as Boavista beat SL Benfica to lift the Portuguese Cup in 1997. He was on target in the final and scored 15 league goals that term - enough to earn a transfer to Benfica.

2000: After three seasons at the Stadium of Light, during which he scored 60 league goals in 101 appearances, his EURO 2000™ exploits earned him a €17m move to AC Fiorentina. He won the Coppa Italia in his first season, before Fiorentina's financial collapse precipated his return to Benfica.

2003/04: A series of niggling injuries limited Nuno Gomes to 21 matches, of which he completed just 14. However, he grew in strength and confidence as the season progressed and was an impressive performer in the Portuguese Cup final victory against FC Porto.

External link

Official site (in Portuguese)