Rónald Gómez


Rónald Gómez Gómez is a Costa Rican former football forward and manager. He is the current manager for Liga Nacional club Coatepeque Fútbol Club.
An important player on the football team during the 1990s and 2000s, Gómez is regarded as one of Costa Rica's best forwards, known for his rocket shots and top dribbling.
Gómez is, along with Paulo Wanchope, the top scorer for Costa Rica in the FIFA World Cup with three goals.

Club career

Early years

Born in Puntarenas as the 12th child of Francisca Gómez, he was raised in the village Pilas de Canjel in Guanacaste Province.
Nicknamed La Bala, Gómez started his career at Carmelita and scored his first league goal on 20 September 1992 against Saprissa. He then scored 45 goals for Alajuelense before moving abroad.

Years abroad

He has played in 6 different countries: in Spain with Sporting Gijón and Hercules of Alicante, in Guatemala with Municipal, in Greece with OFI, in Kuwait with Al Qadsia, in Mexico with Irapuato and in Cyprus with APOEL where he won the Cypriot First Division.

OFI Crete

In the summer of 1999, Greek OFI made the decision to sign Ronald Gómez from Guatemalan club Municipal, marking the Costa Rican striker's return to Europe after spells with Sporting de Gijón and Hércules CF. Despite some hesitation from the Cretan club due to the risks involved, the transfer was completed within a matter of hours, and Gómez quickly established himself as one of the most significant players to have graced Greek football during that era.
Known as a classic "number 9" of the 1990s, Gómez became a cult figure in Greece due to his exceptional goal-scoring ability. He made a lasting impact on OFI, scoring 48 goals in 105 appearances. His performance helped lead the team to the UEFA Cup in the 2000–01 season, thanks to an impressive tally of 19 goals that season.
One of his most memorable moments came with a stunning goal against Proodeftiki, considered one of the finest in Greek football history. Gómez’s tenure at OFIcemented his legacy, and he remains a beloved figure among the club’s supporters.

Saprissa

With Saprissa, he has won 4 national championship; and 1 CONCACAF Champions Cup, and was part of the team that played the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup where Saprissa finished third behind São Paulo and Liverpool. He scored the winning goal in the final minutes of the game that Saprissa won in order to achieve the third place of the tournament against Al-Ittihad. His goal was considered among the best of the cup.

Return from retirement

In June 2009, Gómez came out of playing retirement for a final season at Santos after he was relegated to the second division as manager of Carmelita. After the season, he became manager of Santos.

International career

Gómez made his debut for Costa Rica in a February 1993 UNCAF Nations Cup qualification match against Nicaragua and earned a total of 93 caps, scoring 26 goals. He represented his country in 27 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and figured at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. He also played at the 1993 and 2001 UNCAF Nations Cups
as well as at the 1993, 2000 and 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 1997, 2001, and 2004 Copa América.
His final international was a March 2008 friendly match against Peru.

International goals

GoalDateVenueOpponentResultCompetition
116 February 1993Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica6–0UNCAF Nations Cup qualifier
216 February 1993Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica6–0UNCAF Nations Cup qualifier
35 March 1993Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa1–0UNCAF Nations Cup
–23 June 1993Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica3–1Unofficial friendly match
427 September 1993Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam, Saudi Arabia2–3Friendly match
517 December 1994King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia3–1Friendly match
617 December 1994King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia3–1Friendly match
717 December 1994King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia3–1Friendly match
85 June 1996Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Canada1–0Friendly match
91 September 1996Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago1–01998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
1014 December 1996Stanford Stadium, Stanford, United States1–21998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
1123 March 1997Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica3–21998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
1217 July 1999Titan Stadium, Fullerton, United States1–0Friendly
1318 August 1999Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay4–5Friendly
1418 August 1999Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay4–5Friendly
1530 May 2001Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras2–1UNCAF Nations Cup
161 September 2001Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago2–0World Cup qualifier
171 September 2001Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago2–0World Cup qualifier
1826 January 2002Orange Bowl, Miami, United States2–12002 CONCACAF Gold Cup
1930 January 2002Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States3–12002 CONCACAF Gold Cup
204 June 2002Gwangju World Cup Stadium, Gwangju, South Korea2–02002 FIFA World Cup
2113 June 2002Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea2–52002 FIFA World Cup
2220 June 2004Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, Costa Rica1–1World Cup qualifier
238 June 2005Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica3–2World Cup qualifier
2419 June 2005Helong Stadium, Changsha, China2–2Friendly
253 September 2005Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama3–1World Cup qualifier
2620 June 2006AWD-Arena, Hannover, Germany1–22006 FIFA World Cup

Managerial career

He made his debut as manager of Carmelita in January 2009. In October 2010 he was dismissed by Santos de Guápiles and he later managed second division sides Deportivo Cartagena and Juventud Escazuceña. In September 2013, he took charge of Guatemalan side Halcones and in May 2014 he returned to Costa Rica to take charge at Limón.
In August 2023, Ronald Gómez, a former OFI player, returned to Greece as the head coach of Apollon Smyrnis, a team that was preparing for the upcoming season in the Greek Football League (Gamma Ethniki). His appointment marked the return of a familiar face to Greek football, having been one of the top strikers for OFI during his playing career between 1999 and 2003. Prior to joining Apollon Smyrnis, Gómez had managed Santa Lucia F.C. in Guatemala.
However, his tenure with Apollon Smyrnis ended on 28 February 2024.
After his departure from Apollon Smyrnis, Gómez took on the role of head coach at Deportivo Achuapa in Guatemala, where he began a new challenge, aiming to lead the team to the final phase of the Torneo Clausura 2024.

Personal life

He is married to Gina Soto and they have two sons, Esteban and Daniel.

Honours