Papu Gomez: Argentina World Cup winner training in Serie C despite doping ban

Papu Gomez, former Atalanta star and 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina, is currently training with Serie C outfit AC Renate despite having around 10 months of his two-year doping ban remaining, recent reports confirm.

The 36-year-old, who scored 50 Serie A goals across a seven-year spell with La Dea, was handed a two-year ban in October 2023 after traces of terbutaline were found in his system.

The sample was taken a few weeks before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while Gomez was playing for Sevilla, but his ban was only imposed almost a year later, while he was back in Serie A with Monza.

Papu Gomez in training in Serie C

The Argentine has always insisted that he took some of his son’s cough syrup in order to combat a bout of bronchitis.

Though Papu Gomez is still banned until the autumn of 2025, he has been given the all-clear to train, and according to several outlets in Italy, has recently been building up his fitness with Renate.

Geographically, Renate is almost exactly half-way between Monza and Bergamo, where Atalanta are situated.