Rodrigo Gomes advanced through the SC Braga youth system by studying under Pedro Neto, who was three years his senior. Gomes was born in Povoa de Varzim, which is only 35 minutes away from Neto’s boyhood home. He started out with CB Povoa Lanhoso and other local teams until joining Braga at the age of 11, a year after Neto did. Having advanced through every age group, he debuted as a senior in October 2020.
But even before he made his Braga debut, Wolves had their eye on the talented young player. Scouts from the club’s extensive network initially observed Gomes in a May 2020 under-17 match between Portugal and Germany, which Portugal won 2-0. He played on both wings during that game, continuing a habit he has had throughout his career, and the scouting report was favourable. That match marked the start of Wolves’ extensive investigation of the young player, who drew attention every time Old Gold employees saw him live or on video. According to many of those early assessments, Gomes is now a player who is very determined to succeed both on and off the pitch.
By the conclusion of the 2021–2022 season, Wolves had intensified their scouting. Like Neto at his age, Gomes had been rotated frequently during the campaign, which was typical for a wide player in his early years, but he really dug in during the Europa League. But his transfer to Estoril really set the Old Gold’s recruitment machine in motion, and his performances while his loan put him on the radar of clubs all across Europe. Whether they seen Gomes in person or on film, every Wolves scout was impressed by what they saw from him. Then, everyone’s selection was simple because of O’Neil’s past understanding of the player.
Work rate, energy, and pace are the three main adjectives used to characterise Gomes; Wolves scouts liked his straightforward approach. Gomes is versatile since he can play on either side of the ball and has a humble demeanour, which is an important quality of the Compton Park mentality.
Gomes frequently ran the entire length of the pitch when Estoril was winning in the ninetieth minute. Some athletes wouldn’t go to that length, but he is hungry and driven. There are parallels between Neto and him due to his right-footed, arched back running style and forceful running to get past opponents at full speed.
Gomes led the Portuguese top division in assists for under-21 players as well as dribble attempts made for the same team the previous season. Gomes suited O’Neil’s philosophy by ranking highly for pressures overall in Liga Portugal and among the top 1% of players for speed and work rate.
The wide player impressed with his numbers, scoring nine goals and dishing out eight assists while spending a significant amount of time playing four different positions. This is especially noteworthy because he was on loan at a new club.
