After fifteen years in the elite, Sergi Gómez (Arenys de Mar, 1992) escapes the stereotypes of a typical footballer. Captain of Espanyol on the field after displaying impeccable professionalism, off it he is already thinking about what his future will be and how to help in such a demanding profession. That is why he is preparing to be a sports psychologist while trying to enjoy another year in the First Division with Espanyol.
You have been a professional for fifteen years, are you starting to look back?
I really like to always remember where I come from. How hard it is to get things. The path you follow to get them. Join the different clubs, live it, feel how they think. That’s the most important thing.
He debuted at Barça very young, but he did not establish himself. Is it a thorn in your side?
None. This opened the doors for me to be able to go to Celta and a very ambitious project.
Right now I’m a parakeet, without a doubt. “I share their feelings and their way of acting and living.”
Is it never easy after Barça?
It was time to decide and it wasn’t easy at all. I chose Vigo, where Luis Enrique had been, and former teammates like Fontás, Nolito and Rafinha were there. It was one of the best decisions of my life. We made the Cup and Europa League semi-finals. They are decisions that are made and you don’t know if it is the right one. But in this case it was 100% correct.
When you arrived at the club they asked you about your Barça past, and you said that you were a professional. Four years later he is captain. Has time proven you right?
Yes, I think so. Wherever I have been I have gotten involved. I like to understand the reason for the feeling of each club. When you achieve this, you can feel the same as they feel. And that is the most important thing.
How do you experience the rivalry between parakeets and culés?
I always empathize a lot with my fans. I try to understand everything. Right now I’m a parakeet, without a doubt. I share their feelings and their way of acting and living.
Sergi Gómez, captain of RCD Espanyol
After relegation he was elected captain.
It was a delicate moment for the club and I understood that it was time to take a step forward. He knew the difficulty of the moment, the importance of having a great season in order to be promoted as soon as possible. It cost more than we thought. We had to take the longer route but the team took a step forward.
How do you handle criticism?
It’s simple. One is not going to be bothered by what one does not read or what one does not listen to. I understand people’s frustration. But you have to stay out of all this and not be aware of what people may think of you. Both good and bad. If within the group you give your best: you lead, you help, you accompany… there is nothing that can take away from you.
Why are you studying to be a sports psychologist?
I see that it is something very necessary in the present and especially for the future. Especially with young people who are very exposed, they don’t know where to go, how to manage family, friends, success or defeats.
“If you are not able to manage your emotions, they manage you, and that is a problem.”
How important is psychological help?
It is an essential element for everyone’s life. Not just athletes. Who doesn’t have problems? And what caliber are they? The magnitude of the problems are the level you think they are. Everyone needs help. Even if one thinks not.
And in sport?
It is something basic in the athlete’s pack. More and more athletes say that they have experienced episodes of mental or psychological problems. If you are not able to manage your emotions, they manage you, and that is a problem.
Why do you think you can help?
Because I have lived it. I have fifteen years of experience at the highest level. I have suffered defeats, I know what it is like to not be called up and many other things… I have lived it and I think that experience can help many people.
You have worked with a coach your entire career.
As an athlete you come across adverse situations, moments of doubt, of frustration. What makes the difference with other sports is that the pressure of football makes you evolve faster in many senses of life. And, either you are ready or you are not. Having good mental preparation makes you evolve much faster.
Sergi Gómez, captain of Espanyol.
What is your role in the locker room with the young people?
I have always liked to try to teach what I have experienced and have learned from many people. When I was very young I would hang out with the veterans and ask, ask, ask. They were what I wanted to be.
Should the quarry be the pillar of Espanyol?
Yes, and not only here. The economic situations of many clubs are delicate. And the average age is 22 or 23 years old, something that has never happened before.
What do you think of semi-automatic offside?
With all technology, you have to believe it. If the line is ahead, it is ahead. Technology is good, yes, but as long as it does not generate more doubts and problems, if it does, it still needs to be reviewed.
Luis Enrique marked me and I had a wonderful relationship with him.”
Which coach helped you the most?
There was a key phase in my career in promotion with Barça B with Luis Enrique. It marked me a lot. He trusted me when I was 16 years old, I had a wonderful relationship with him, then he took me to the Spanish team and he is one of the ones who has had the biggest impact on me. I get positive things from everyone. I have always liked to understand why one wants to be a coach, what leads them to be in the elite for so long.
If I hadn’t been a footballer?
I would have been a cyclist or something else. I am enthusiastic about high performance sports. I have sucked it since I was little.
Is the derby against Girona increasingly important for Spanishism?
It is a rival that we want to beat and they are doing very well. I just think that we want the three points.
Does being downhill increase nervousness?
We have a game pending and taking out the Bilbao and Valladolid game, which have been two bad games for us, the rest of us, even losing, have played very well. Details have penalized us. Against Barça in the second half we were very good. They didn’t know where to go.
Another calendar from your league arrives. Do you see it like that in the locker room?
Now comes the finishing of the first round and that margin of points that you can win is what can give you the peace of mind to face the second round. We are aware of this.
Do you see yourself as a coach?
Many people have told me that I would be good as a coach, but honestly it’s hard for me to think about it. It may be an option but right now it is not a priority.
Sergi Gómez, captain of Espanyol.
What’s holding you back?
I understand the responsibility and demands that it has. When you have been in the sector for so many years you know what you will deprive yourself of and what you will no longer be able to do. And for me the final prize is being able to enjoy life with my family in peace.
What objectives do you have left to achieve?
I would say enjoy. Many times it is difficult to think about it because life takes you at a frenetic pace. And it is still a sport in which you have to enjoy. I don’t want 20 years to go by and say, I didn’t enjoy those 15 years, those games, those semifinals, that playoff, even those relegations. As an objective and as a general reflection I would say we have to enjoy everything a little more.
And suffer?
Of course. You have to know that in life you will have to suffer. There are difficult moments that you don’t control, but you don’t have to constantly wait for the bad moment. When you learn to enjoy everything flows better.
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