Introduction
Maximiliano "Maxi" Gómez González ([ˈmaksi ˈɣomes]; born 14 August 1996) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Valencia and the Uruguay national team.
Having begun his career with Defensor Sporting, he moved to Spain in 2017, where he represented Celta and Valencia in La Liga.
A full international for Uruguay since 2017, he was selected for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the Copa América of 2019 and 2021.
Club career
Defensor Sporting
Born in Paysandú, Gómez joined Defensor Sporting's youth setup in 2013, from CA Litoral. He made his first team debut on 15 September 2015, coming on as a late substitute for Héctor Acuña in a 1–0 away win against Universitario for the year's Copa Sudamericana.
Gómez made his Primera División debut on 4 October 2015, but in a 0–4 away loss against Nacional. His first senior goal came on 16 October, the last in a 2–3 home defeat against Montevideo Wanderers.
On 31 October 2015, Gómez scored a brace in a 4–1 home routing of Juventud de Las Piedras; he repeated the feat on 20 November in a 2–2 home draw against El Tanque Sisley, and also in a 3–2 home success over Danubio the following 28 February. On 22 May 2016, he scored four goals in a 6–5 away win against El Tanque Sisley, and finished his first season with 14 goals in only 21 matches.
After only four goals in 14 matches in the 2016 campaign, Gómez contributed with ten goals in 12 matches in 2017; highlights included a brace in a 2–0 away win against Danubio on 5 March 2017.
Celta
In May 2017, Gómez signed a five-year deal with La Liga side Celta Vigo, moving abroad for the first time in his career. He made his debut for the club on 19 August, starting and scoring a brace in a 2–3 home loss against Real Sociedad, and finished his debut season with 17 goals from 36 games, seventh highest in the division.
Gómez contributed 13 goals in 2018–19 as Celta finished one place above relegation. This included one on the final day, as they defeated newly crowned champions FC Barcelona 2–0 at Balaídos.
Valencia
On 14 July 2019, Gómez signed a contract with Valencia CF until 2024, with his release clause set at €140 million. The deal saw Valencia pay €14.5 million with Santi Mina and Jorge Sáenz moving in the opposite direction, the latter joining Celta on a two-year loan deal. He made his debut on 24 August away to his former club, playing the first hour of a 1–0 loss before being replaced by Rodrigo.
Gómez scored his first goal for the Che on 14 September, coming off the bench to net at the end of a 5–2 loss to Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Against the same opponents on 25 January 2020, he scored both goals in a 2–0 victory at Mestalla, preserving his team's unbeaten home season and inflicting a first defeat of Quique Setién's spell in charge of the opponents.
International career
Gómez made his international debut for Uruguay on 10 November 2017 in a goalless friendly away to Poland, as a 74th-minute substitute for Giorgian De Arrascaeta. Manager Óscar Tabárez called him up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where he made his first competitive appearance in the final group game as an added-time replacement in a 3–0 win over the hosts in Samara.
On 26 March 2019, Gómez scored his first international goal to round off a 4–0 victory over Thailand and win the China Cup. He was called up for the Copa América in 2019 and 2021, both in Brazil.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 22 September 2021
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Defensor Sporting | 2015–16 | Uruguayan Primera División | 21 | 14 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 25 | 14 | ||
| 2016 | 14 | 4 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 4 | ||||
| 2017 | 12 | 10 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 13 | 11 | ||||
| Total | 47 | 28 | — | 5 | 1 | — | 52 | 29 | ||||
| Celta Vigo | 2017–18 | La Liga | 36 | 17 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 17 | ||
| 2018–19 | 35 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 13 | ||||
| Total | 71 | 30 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 75 | 30 | ||||
| Valencia | 2019–20 | La Liga | 33 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 11 |
| 2020–21 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 7 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 70 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 80 | 19 | ||
| Career total | 184 | 74 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 203 | 76 | ||
International
- As of match played 9 September 2021
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2017 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Uruguay's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 25 March 2019 | Guangxi Sports Center, Nanning, China |  Thailand |
4–0 | 4–0 | 2019 China Cup |
| 2. | 7 June 2019 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay |  Panama |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 3. | 8 October 2020 |  Chile |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |