Considering the German national side's struggle without the presence of a world-class number 9, it is for certain that current German coach Julian Nagelsmann would've loved to have a player like Mario Gomes at his disposal right now. The former German striker wasn't the greatest player from Germany in his position, and yet was a crucial servant of the nation that was always there when needed. His 31 goals in 78 appearances for Germany is a testament to that.
It can be argued that Gomez didn't reach the massive potential expected from him, but he was nonetheless an instrument player for both club and country at his prime. Let us now look back at an early phase of his career, as we rewind the German striker's time at Stuttgart.
Rising through the ranks
Mario Gomez began his professional football career at Stuttgart, with his first 2 years being spent with the club's reserve side. His impressive performances eventually saw him make his debut for Stuttgart, in a Champions League first knock-out round against Chelsea on 9th March 2004. Almost 2 months later, the German striker made his Bundesliga debut against Hamburger SV as a substitute. Those were his only first-team appearances in the 2003–04 season.
It was in the 2005–06 campaign that Gomez became a permanent member of the Stuttgart first-team. His first goal came against Mainz 05, which Stuttgart ended up losing 2-1. Gomez finished his debut season with 6 goals in 30 appearances. In addition to the Bundesliga, he played in the UEFA Cup, DFB-Pokal, and DFL-Ligapokal.
The birth of a star
The 2006–07 season was a turning point for Gomez, as he established himself as one of the top strikers in the Bundesliga. The golden run however was halted by serious injuries, as Gomez broke his hand on 10th March 2007 and also suffered a torn ligament in his left knee.
He returned back in heroic fashion almost 2 months later, coming on as a substitute and immediately scoring in Stuttgart's 3-2 win over VfL Bochum. Stuttgart beat Energie Cottbus in their final league game of the season, which made them the new league Champions of Germany.
Gomez and his men reached the DFB-Pokal final as well that season, but lost to 1. FC Nürnberg. The German striker ended the season with 14 goals in 25 league appearances, and those contributions saw him named as the 2007 German Footballer of the Year. He also extended his contract with Stuttgart till 2012 to celebrate the historical success.
Departure
Stuttgart were a shadow of the side that made them German champions in the following season 2007–08 season, but Gomez continued to shine with 19 goals in just 25 appearances. The German scored 6 goals in the DFB-Pokal, which made him the competition's top scorer that season. All of this led to Gomez attracting the attention of Europe's elite, as he started proving to be too good for Stuttgart.
The 2008–09 campaign was his final for Stuttgart, as Bayern Munich snatched the striker after the season concluded. Gomez scored a remarkable 24 goals in 32 league appearances in his final season at Stuttgart.
Homecoming and retirement
Gomez returned back to Stuttgart 15 years later in 2018, thus coming full circle in his football career. He had a memorable 2 years in his second coming. Not only was Gomez Stuttgart's top scorer with seven goals in the 2018–19 campaign , he also scored in his final match for the club to help them achieve promotion back to the Bundesliga. On 28th June 2020, Stuttgart announced that Gómez had ended his professional career. It was a magical end of a chapter, at the same magical place where it all began.
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