“A cough syrup took two years off my life”
Argentina’s 2022 world champion suspended after positive doping test
Suspended since September 2023 for doping (he tested positive for Terbutaline), Papu Gómez revealed that, at 36 years old, he still wants to return to playing at the highest level, at a time when he is preparing his return by training at AC Renate, a club in Italy’s Serie C. The attacking midfielder, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, in Qatar, admitted that he would like to return to playing in Italy.
“I would like to return to Atalanta , but I know they don’t need me now, but at 36 I feel I can still make a difference. A cough syrup cost me two years of my life and for several months I thought I would never be able to return to football, but now I’m happy, I’ve managed to get out of the tunnel and I feel like I’m 17 again. It’s a new beginning for me, let’s see which clubs call me. Training alone for a year is very tough and I’ve learned to be resilient,” recalled the player, in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica
“I accepted the punishment that was imposed on me, but it made me sick. It makes no sense to punish someone for two years for this. I made a mistake because of a cough syrup,” said Papu Gómez.
