During a commercial event in Bergamo, former Atalanta striker Alejandro “Papu” Gomez spoke to Sky Sport (via Calciomercato) about his enduring connection with the club and his recent reconciliation with manager Gian Piero Gasperini.
Gomez, whose Atalanta journey abruptly ended in 2021 due to a falling out with Gasperini, praised the manager’s recent gesture of reconciliation. “Gasp made an extraordinary gesture: he knew I lived here and called me saying we needed to meet. He told me he cares for me. Together we did so much for Atalanta. We had dinner in the upper city, chatting for three or four hours, mostly about football. It was beautiful,” Gomez shared.
Currently sidelined due to a two-year doping ban received while playing for Monza, Gomez also discussed Atalanta’s prospects in the upcoming Champions League. “It will take some getting used to, but it will certainly be exciting, with many strong teams. For Atalanta, it will be all new, and it will be thrilling to see them challenge certain big teams – seven or eight years ago, this was unimaginable,” he said. When asked about Atalanta’s potential in the competition, Gomez expressed confidence: “They’re the most European of the Italian teams, they can go far. Will I go to the stadium? Maybe, but I’m always afraid of getting too emotional.”
Gomez also shared his thoughts on Atalanta’s recent Europa League triumph: “Dublin thrilled me immensely because of the team’s personality. It was more exciting than Liverpool, also because a final is always a final.” When asked about current Atalanta player Lookman, Gomez commented, “I like him a lot, but I think we’re different. Maybe he’s more like my early version from 2016 when I played wider, before I became a trequartista.”
