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Lionel Messi's Argentina teammate Papu Gomez, who was part of the Albiceleste's victorious 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar, has been banned for doping.
Gomez, 35, played two games in the quadrennial competition last year - the 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their campaign opener and the 2-1 Round-of-16 win over Australia. He missed the semifinal win over Croatia due to a muscle sprain and didn't come off the bench in the other games, including the final win over France.
Since that Croatia game, the Monza winger hasn't appeared for the Albiceleste, since leaving Sevilla in the summer. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has now tweeted (via Relevo) that Gomez has been banned for two years due to doping. He tweeted:
"BREAKING: World Cup winner Papu Gómez has been banned for doping — reports @relevo. Two-year ban for the Argentine who recently signed with Italian side Monza as free agent after contract terminated at Sevilla."
Roma Press has reported that Gomez had tested for doping in November just before the World Cup - while he was at Sevilla,
He's now unavailable for Monza's weekend game against Roma. Based on the developments, the 35-year-old has likely played his last for Monza, having made only two appearances.
How did Lionel Messi fare for Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
Lionel Messi is widely regarded as the best player to have graced the beautiful game. The current Inter Miami attacker 'completed football' after leading Argentina from the front in their victorious World Cup campaign in Qatar last winter.
Messi, 36, played every minute of all seven games, bagging seven goals and three assists. The only game he didn't score was the 2-0 group-stage win over Poland, which took Argentine into the knockouts.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner scored in all four knockout games. That includes a brace against then reigning champions France in the final. La Albiceleste prevailed on penalties after a pulsating 3-3 draw after 120 minutes.
Messi scored and assisted in three games during that campaign, against Mexico (group stage), Netherlands (quarterfinal) and Croatia (semifinal). The Argentine also converted his spot-kicks in the shootout wins over the Oranje in the last eight and France in the final.
Lionel Messi, in the process, won the Golden Ball, becoming the first player to receive the award twice, having also won it in 2014 when Argentina lost to Germany 1-0 in the final.
