From playing with Messi in “Tango” to becoming a taxi driver…a bitter journey for Argentine Luis Gomez

Football players have always been associated with glory, fame and wealth, but there are also sad stories and the evaporation of the dreams and hopes of players, such as the story of right back Jose Luis Gomez, Lionel Messi’s teammate in the Argentine national team, who ended up as a taxi driver living with his family on subsistence.

In 2016, Luis Gomez was tipped to become Argentina’s future right-back, and local media even commented at the time that Barcelona would pursue him as a talented Racing player, and he joined Premier League club Athletic Lanus.

🔙 José Luis Gómez has been training alone, intermittently, for more than a year at the Tita Mattiussi with a PF and, at 30 years old, he could put an end to his career as a footballer

🗣️ “We have always been a humble family. El Negrito helps us. After the… pic.twitter.com/KmXwdXBa2a

— Diario Olé (@DiarioOle) November 18, 2023

After making his debut for the Albiceleste national team in 2017 in a friendly match against Brazil, he suffered a tear in the meniscus in his left knee. The dream turned into a nightmare after the injury affected his self-confidence, which led to his exclusion from the 2018 World Cup squad in Russia.

Today, Jose Luis Gomez lives in a harsh reality, far from the reality he imagined after he started with Argentina in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, after which he was called up to the first national team to play alongside Messi.

Played with #Messi in the national team and now drives an Uber: the story of José Luis #Gómez

— Davide Capano (@davide_capano) November 21, 2023

As his career approaches its end, according to information from the Argentine newspaper Ole, he works as a taxi driver.

“We were always a humble family,” Jose’s father told Ole. “After training, he goes out to work by car in the afternoon, and sometimes at night.”

Luis Gomez excelled in the Argentine Racing team, before moving to play for Lanus in 2016, where he won two titles.

But he returned to his old club after injury and behavioral problems, before his contract expired in December of last year without being renewed.

The last match with his former team, Lanus, was in the “Copa Sudamericana” tournament in 2021, which ended in a 2-1 loss to the Brazilian team Gremio.

Despite his work as a driver, Jose (30 years old) is currently training with a fitness trainer, hoping to receive new offers from other clubs, according to the newspaper.