A cult-hero amongst our supporters, Heurelho Gomes is a popular figure with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim followers too.
The Brazil international joined ‘Die Kraichgauer’ midway through the 2012/13 season and played his part in helping the Sinsheim club pull off something of a ‘Great Escape’ from Bundesliga relegation. He played nine matches on loan from Spurs to Hoffenheim, winning Man of the Match on his debut and skippering the club from his next appearance onwards, before a broken hand curtailed his campaign.
Following his arrival from PSV Eindhoven, Gomes made a total of 130 appearances in our colours between 2008 and 2014, during which time we achieved our first-ever qualification for the UEFA Champions League in 2009/10. The ex- Cruzeiro man played in 42 matches in all competitions that season and followed that up with 41 appearances in 2010/11 which included 10 Champions League starts.
Gomes departed for Watford in 2014 before returning to his homeland in 2021 to sign for Democrata SL where he retired from playing later that year.
How do you look back on your loan spell with Hoffenheim in 2013?
Gomes: "I wasn’t getting the minutes I wanted at Tottenham at the time, so I saw the opportunity to move to Hoffenheim as a good one. The club really wanted to sign me. At that time, Hoffenheim wasn’t in a good position in the Bundesliga. They were in the relegation zone. They wanted someone with experience to give them some confidence at the back. The move was last-minute and the flight I was on to Germany to do my medical on transfer deadline day was delayed. So, I was asked to sign the contract before my medical and then the league had to approve it. I moved on 31 January and on 2 February, there was a game which I played in against Freiburg. My time at Hoffenheim proved to be a positive experience. I had one-and-a-half years left on my Spurs contract when I went to Hoffenheim. Getting the minutes there would obviously have improved my chances of either getting a place back in the starting 11 at Spurs or getting a move elsewhere. It was also the opportunity to prove to myself that I was ready for that too. It was a nice move in terms of my life there. I lived in Heidelberg and both Heidelberg and Hoffenheim were nice places. The most important thing about my move there was to keep Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. I broke my hand towards the end of the season and sadly missed out playing in their relegation play-off against Kaiserslautern. I remember watching the two legs of that play-off when I was back in London and I was so delighted that Hoffenheim won (5-2 on aggregate) to stay in the Bundesliga. I also remember watching their final game of the regular season away at Borussia Dortmund on television too, which they won 2-1 and played amazingly well that day. I think they needed at least a point, maybe even a win, that day to remain in the Bundesliga, so that result was huge!"
How do you reflect on your first season with Spurs in 2008/09?
Gomes: "Moving to Spurs was the right move for me – a massive club in the Premier League. Spurs were investing in some great players at that time like Luka Modrić and Vedran Ćorluka and they were also bringing in very promising young players like Giovani Dos Santos. We had a tough start to the season, which didn’t help the team and didn’t help me either. I played a number of games that I shouldn’t, because of injury. It was a very tough first six months for me, with injuries I’d never had before. I continued to play with injections and always tried to give 100 per cent for the club. But the second half of that season and the two seasons after in particular were very enjoyable. We achieved so many things – getting the club into the Champions League for the first time. We won key games at home against Chelsea and Arsenal and away to Manchester City in the season we qualified for the Champions League."
We came up against German opposition in the Champions League in 2010/11 in the shape of Werder Bremen. What were they like as an opponent?
Gomes: "It’s always difficult coming up against German opponents in Europe. Most German teams have a real know-how as to how you play these Champions League matches. But we were able to get two good results against them. We drew 2-2 out there… a match I didn’t play in. But I did play in the 3-0 win against them at home and we played very well that night."
What other memories spring to mind of the Champions League campaign of 2010/11?
Gomes: "There were so many incredible moments. We saw Gareth Bale turn into the player that he became in the Champions League that season. I remember the Inter Milan away game – a tough night for me, because I was sent off. But that was the night Gareth made a name for himself with his hat-trick. My good friend Maicon was playing and really struggled against Gareth. I have spoken to Maicon since and I always joke that I was going to give Gareth a call so he could speak with him! The AC Milan away game was incredible, with Peter Crouch’s winner. We all know what a difficult place the San Siro is to go to. I went there with PSV and it was very tough. So, to win there with Spurs was amazing. And of course, we were able to finish the job, drawing 0-0 at White Hart Lane to get through to the quarter-finals."
How difficult was it to leave Spurs for Watford in the summer of 2014?
Gomes: "I look back so fondly on my time at Tottenham. There were a lot more good memories than bad ones! When you look back on your time at a club, you look at what you achieved as a group of players. As I said earlier, we created many memories that the fans will look back on so fondly. There are always situations where I think I could have done better personally, but honestly, it was a great time. Whenever I’m in London, I come and watch some games and I also keep in touch with the players from the Spurs team of the time. We are like a family. And I feel my generation of players was able to start the new era of Spurs, qualifying for the Champions League many more times after we initially achieved it. Spurs will always be a special club for me.
What was the experience like playing for our Legends team against Milan Glorie at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year?
Gomes: "That was amazing. It was great to be back at Tottenham, great to see the boys and also wonderful to experience the new stadium playing for Spurs. I previously went to the new stadium as a Watford player, but it was great being back again as a Spurs player for the day!"
What have you been up to since retiring from playing?
Gomes: "I am working as a football agent. I could never walk away from football but I also couldn’t see myself as a manager, a coach or a director. Gino Pozzo invited me to take a role at Watford after I retired from playing, but I declined as I knew it wasn’t for me. In addition to staying in football, I also wanted to spend more time with my family. So the opportunity came about to be an agent. And that appealed to me. I particularly liked the idea of looking after young players. When we had young players come to Spurs or when I was at Watford, I’d try to help them a lot. I helped Richarlison when he arrived at Watford for example. You have some great agents out there and also some bad ones, who are only interested in doing deals. For me, it’s not so much about doing deals. It’s about dealing with human beings. Treating them right. I wanted to be an agent and do things the right way. We have some very good players on our books… players that I am sure will be ready to play for Spurs in a few years’ time! Aside from my work as an agent, I am involved in construction. We are building apartments and offices in the south of Brazil."
As a fellow goalkeeper, how impressed were you by Antonín Kinský’s performances for Spurs in the run-in last season?
Gomes: "I was so pleased for him. He had a tough game against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League game. To concede the goals he did, to be substituted. That must have been so hard for him. But what a response he showed. He made some incredible saves in the run-in last season and he was just brilliant. Those saves he made against Leeds… wow! Every time the team needed him, he was there. I want to congratulate him. I look forward to watching him this season, even better prepared, more confident. He will become a top, top goalkeeper for sure."
Finally, what are your hopes for Spurs and Hoffenheim ahead of the start of their respective seasons?
Gomes: "Hoffenheim are growing a lot as a club. They finished fifth in the Bundesliga last season, which was a very good achievement. If they can have a similar sort of season, that would be amazing. For Spurs, I am sure they can do very well this season. I like Roberto De Zerbi a lot. He’s someone I follow a lot because he’s close to my good friend, Sandro. De Zerbi and Sandro were together at Benevento as a head coach and a player. I went to Italy a few times to see Sandro and he’d say about De Zerbi ‘we have a manager here like you can’t believe… he will become a top manager’. Then Sandro got some coaching experience working with De Zerbi when he was at Brighton. I visited Sandro when he was at Brighton too and, again, he spoke so highly of Roberto. With this manager and the signings Spurs have made ahead of this season, it’s all very exciting. The squad is stronger than last season and Spurs will be very competitive for sure. And when you are competitive, the opportunity is there to achieve great things."