The Rise of Angel Gomes: How Ligue 1 & Lille made an England international
One To Watch
"Through the journey, I knew eventually I’d be able to create a pathway to be in this position that I’m in now," said a proud Angel Gomes during his first press conference as a senior England international. Lille's attacking midfielder was named to new interim manager Lee Carsley's first Three Lions squad to face Ireland and Finland. With 25 minutes under his belt on his debut as a senior England international against Ireland, the 24-year-old is set to have more involvement against Finland on Tuesday evening (20:45 CET).
The Portuguese connection
Gomes grew up with football, it's in his blood after all. His father Gil Gomes represented Portugal at under-21 level and won the 1991 FIFA Youth World Championship, in a side that featured legends such as Luis Figo and Rui Costa. Angel was born in North London, and moved to the Manchester suburb of Salford when he was young, joining the Manchester United academy at the age of six.
From manchester United' wonderkid' to Ligue 1
It's been five years now since Gomes was thrown into the limelight when he became the first player born in the 2000s to make his debut in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho, he would be hyped as one of United's academy 'wonderkids' - yet he would lack the game time to fulfil his potential with the Premier League side.
Only a season later would the Englishman reject a contract extension offer and move to Northern France and Lille on a free transfer. Current Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Luís Campos took an interest in the player before signing him, and then was a big part in the decision process to ship him out on loan to Portuguese side Boavista.
When he returned for Les Dogues, he wouldn't play a major role until Portuguese manager Paulo Fonseca took over in the 2022-2023 season. "Angel is a player that I like a lot," said former boss Fonseca on Gomes. "He's very intelligent and technically strong enough to play in different positions. He manages to perform in all positions, and with any of his teammates. He seemingly has no difficulties at all."
Gomes is now a different player to the technically-gifted attacking midfielder that played at Manchester United. At Lille, the Englishman played in a deeper role and was a key cog in the build-up of an expressive ball-playing side.
The definitive playmaker
In an interview with The Athletic in 2022, he would say himself: “I am just a midfielder. I can operate in all three roles: I can play as the deep-lying midfielder, I can play as a No 8, I can play as a No 10. I just love to play in the midfield and be able to distribute and help the team play in all different areas of the pitch. I am confident. I like keeping the ball, I like taking responsibility.”
Last season saw a great relationship form between Gomes and Lille's double pivot: Benjamin André and Nabil Bentaleb. Playing closer to Jonathan David, he racked up the assists last season. With eight assists to his name in the last Ligue 1 campaign, only PSG's Ousmane Dembélé had registered more.
"Don't get me wrong, I love scoring," Gomes told L'Équipe in a recent interview. "I prefer an assist because there is a lot of thinking. It is very precise. I like this kind of work, the calculation behind it. That’s the story of my game."
Gomes was also part of the story behind Lille's qualification for the UEFA Champions League via the playoffs, which will see the Englishman face several high class opponents (including a match-up with fellow English expat Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid).
Like the former Dortmund and Birmingham midfielder, he had to put in the work out of the spotlight before an eventual call-up to the England national team. It's a journey, as he admitted himself in his first press conference, which has made him the player he is today.
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