André Gomes · Biography

André Filipe Tavares Gomes, born on 30 July 1993 in Grijó (Vila Nova de Gaia), made his competitive debut for Benfica’s first team on 18 October 2012 in a Taça de Portugal tie away to Freamunde. He came off the bench and scored. Nine days later, on 27 October, he started his first Primeira Liga match in a 3-0 win at Gil Vicente and scored again. A central midfielder, he has played in Portugal, Spain, England, France and the United States, and won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016.

Youth football and the move to Benfica

He came through the youth ranks at Porto, who released him as a teenager. He then spent time at ADR Pasteleira and Boavista before joining Benfica, where he finished his junior years. In 2012 he played for Portugal at the European Under-19 Championship and was named in the team of the tournament. In Lisbon he split his time between the reserve side, with 17 games and 8 goals in the second tier, and the first-team squad.

The 2013-14 season was his breakthrough. On 31 January 2014 Benfica sold 100% of his economic rights to Meriton Capital for €15 million plus 25% of any future sale. On 16 April 2014 he scored in the second leg of the cup semi-final against Porto, and the club finished the campaign with a domestic treble: league, Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga. He was also part of the Benfica squads that reached and lost the Europa League finals of 2013 and 2014.

Two seasons at Valencia

On 17 July 2014 he joined Valencia on loan. His La Liga debut came on 23 August 2014 in a 1-1 draw at Sevilla, and he scored his first league goal on 22 September that year in a 3-0 win at Getafe. In June 2015 the two clubs agreed a deal for his registration and he became a Valencia player outright. Over two seasons at Mestalla he made 78 appearances and scored 9 goals in all competitions.

FC Barcelona (2016-2018)

On 21 July 2016 FC Barcelona agreed to sign him for €35 million plus €20 million in add-ons. He made his debut on 17 August 2016 in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup, a 3-0 home win over Sevilla. His first goal came on 19 March 2017, completing a 4-2 victory over Valencia. That year he played in the Copa del Rey final against Alavés, won 3-1, and set up Neymar’s goal. Even so, readers of Marca voted him the worst signing of the 2016-17 season. At Barcelona he won the 2017-18 league title, the Copa del Rey in 2017 and 2018 and the 2016 Super Cup, with 78 appearances and 3 goals.

Everton and the 2019 injury

On 9 August 2018 he moved to Everton on loan. He made his Premier League debut on 21 October 2018, playing 82 minutes of a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, and scored for the first time on 2 February 2019 against Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 25 June 2019 Everton signed him permanently for £22 million.

On 3 November 2019, against Tottenham at Goodison Park, he suffered a serious ankle injury after a challenge from Son Heung-min and a collision with Serge Aurier. He underwent surgery and returned on 23 February 2020, playing the second half of a 3-2 defeat at Arsenal. He made 114 appearances and scored 4 goals for Everton, who announced in May 2024 that he would leave; his time there ended on 30 June that year.

Portugal national team

Capped at every youth level, he received his first senior call-up in February 2013 but did not play. His debut came on 7 September 2014 in Aveiro, a 1-0 defeat to Albania in qualifying for the European Championship. At Euro 2016 he started the opening game against Iceland, providing the assist for Nani’s goal, and was part of the squad that won the tournament in France. A year later he played four matches at the Confederations Cup, where Portugal finished third. He was named in the provisional 35-man list for the 2018 World Cup but missed the final cut. He finished with 29 caps, without scoring, between 2014 and 2018.

Lille and Columbus Crew

In September 2022 he joined Lille on loan and scored his first goal for the club on 4 February 2023 in a 3-1 win at Rennes. On 6 September 2024 he returned to the French side on a free transfer. Across both spells he played 53 games and scored 4 goals. In February 2026 he signed for MLS club Columbus Crew, again as a free agent.