Just over five years ago, Gustavo Gómez stood on the cusp of joining Boca Juniors, only for the move to collapse at the final hurdle. Today, he captains Palmeiras, the team that would become Boca’s rival, and he leads them deep into the 2023 Copa Libertadores semi-finals.
On July 5, 2018, Gómez appeared destined to wear Boca’s colors. He had left Milan, landed in Buenos Aires, passed through the Casa Amarilla facilities, and even shot his unveiling video. Yet the closing details of the deal unraveled, pushed aside by a last-minute demand that Guillermo Barros Schelotto had reportedly requested. Within days, Gómez had instead signed with Palmeiras, the archrival Boca would meet in the 2023 Libertadores semi-finals.
Not long after, Gómez watched another Paraguayan star, Darío Benedetto, light up the same competition in 2018 when Benedetto delivered a decisive performance with three goals across the two legs against Palmeiras, a match in which Gómez himself had contributed the 2-1 goal moment in Brazil. History now brings them face to face again, with Gómez donning the armband and serving as a pivotal leader for a Palmeiras side that captured the title in 2020 and again in 2021.
Looking back five years after that near-miss, Gómez reflects on the twist of fate. “Fate wanted me to join Palmeiras. Everything was ready to sign, but there were a few contract details we didn’t like when I arrived. It was very close, but, in the end, fate brought me to Palmeiras,” he told reporters. The veteran defender had recently turned down a £30 million offer from a club in the Arab world, choosing instead to dedicate himself to chasing a third career trophy.
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WHY DIDN’T THE MOVE TO BOCA MATERIALIZE?
To understand the aborted negotiations, one must step back to the mid-2018 transfer window and then further back to 2014. Guillermo Barros Schelotto had first identified Gómez when he coached Lanús and was impressed by his potential. So, during the January 2018 lull, Boca reportedly tried to bring Gómez in, even offering Milan around 6.5 million for the defender — an offer that Milan initially considered. But the move did not come to fruition.
Six months later, negotiations resumed, with multiple offers and counteroffers that eventually reached an agreement with Milan and Gómez’s representatives. Yet the final hurdle emerged during the medical exam: the financial terms. Boca proposed a fixed salary in a stable currency aligned with the club’s budget, while Gómez’s camp sought payment in a different currency arrangement. The discrepancy proved insurmountable at that moment.
The talks collapsed, and Gómez remained with Milan before eventually heading to Palmeiras. Daniel Angelici, Boca’s president at the time, later publicly remarked that the medical examination had been completed and that, during the trip, the last discussion with Gómez’s agent included a preference for a free-dollar contract. He added that Boca is a large club and that he values players who actively want to join, not negotiations that stretch on endlessly.
Months afterward, Palmeiras proved to be the more reliable option. The Brazilian club impressed Gómez with direct communication, credibility, and a straightforward approach—qualities that, according to Gómez, allowed him to trust their word and their commitments. Palmeiras kept their promises, and Gómez soon became a foundational figure for the squad, a role that would help them win league titles in subsequent seasons. The rest of that year’s arc is well known, but a fresh chapter opened in 2023 as the Copa Libertadores semi-finals pitted Gómez’s Palmeiras against Boca once again, now in the role of a captain steering a prominent continental contender.
In summation, Gómez’s near-miss with Boca, the sharp turn to Palmeiras, and the ensuing years illustrate how a career can pivot on a few contract clauses and the timing of medicals. The defender’s journey highlights how a player’s leadership and on-field performance can redefine a club’s trajectory and crown him a central figure in a team’s ongoing pursuit of continental glory.
Source: Goal