He was world champion with Messi and now he faces a two-year ban for doping offence

On December 18, 2022, the Argentine National Team won its third World Cup after a 3-3 draw with France and a penalty shootout win at the Lusail Stadium in Doha. After five attempts Lionel Messi was finally able to lift soccer's most important trophy and for many he definitely climbed to the top of the ranking of the best players of all time.

Since then Lionel Scaloni's team have been almost unanimously recognized as the best national team in the world, they are first in the FIFA rankings and have won all the matches they played in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. However, one of the squad's players was never called up again after the final in Qatar: Alejandro Gomez.

Papu' played two games in the World Cup, against Saudi Arabia and Australia, but then lost his place. And that's not all: Scaloni left him out of all call-ups in this 2023. And he also left his club, Sevilla. This summer, after rejecting offers from Saudi Arabia, he agreed his arrival in Monza.

But in the Italian side he will not be able to play much. According to Relevo, the results of an anti-doping control that the player took in November 2022, before the World Cup, became known. A banned substance was detected there and UEFA now informed Monza that the player will be sanctioned with a two-year ban. This could end the professional career of Gomez, who is 35 years old.

What is his explanation?

According to reports, Alejandro Gomez claimed that the banned substance is a syrup from one of his sons, which he took one night when he was not feeling well. He did this without consulting Sevilla's medical team, so the responsibility lies 100% with the player.