Gómez completed his development with neighbours Espanyol, and made his official debut with the latter in a 4–0 away defeat to Real Murcia on 23 March 2008.[4] He appeared in a further two La Liga matches during his tenure, always as a second-half substitute.
Gómez was described by scouts as having "a lovely ability to receive the ball in space or if he is marked tightly, find space after his first touch".[7] Whilst on loan, reports surfaced that Swansea wanted to sign him permanently[8] and other teams were supposedly interested in acquiring his services,[9][10] but nothing came of it, as manager Roberto Martínez eventually announced the club would not be able to retain the player due to his high price tag.[11][12][13]
Wigan Athletic
Gómez finished the season with 14 goals in all competitions and returned to Espanyol, being immediately sold to Premier League side Wigan Athletic on a three-year contract on 19 June 2009, with the transfer fee estimated to be in the region of £1.7 million – the move also meant he would be reunited with former Swansea boss, countryman Martínez.[14] He made his debut in a 2–0 victory over Aston Villa on 15 August,[15] and netted his first goal for the club against Birmingham City on 5 December, albeit in a 2–3 home loss.[16]
Gómez scored his second league goal in a 2–0 defeat of Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2010. However, during the match, he escaped suffering a leg injury after a challenge from Karl Henry.[17][18]
On 17 December 2011, Gómez scored the equaliser for the hosts in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea, his fourth goal in five league games.[19][20] He netted the second goal at Arsenal in the eighth minute of an eventual 2–1 away win on 16 April 2012 at the Emirates Stadium,[21] and the Latics once again managed to avoid relegation.[22]
On 9 March 2013, Gómez provided the cross from which Maynor Figueroa opened the scoring at Everton, and he himself added the final 3–0 for his team's third goal in as many minutes, in an eventual qualification to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.[27] He helped them win the competition, being replaced after 81 minutes by Ben Watson, who went on to score the winning goal;[28] however, only three days later, with him on the pitch again, the side were relegated from the top division following a 1–4 away defeat to Arsenal.[29]
On 29 May 2014, Gómez signed a three-year deal with Sunderland on a free transfer after his contract at Wigan expired.[31] He made his debut on 16 August, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for Jack Rodwell in a 2–2 draw away to West Bromwich Albion,[32] and scored his first goal 11 days later August in a 3–0 League Cup second round victory at Birmingham City.[33]
Gómez scored his first league goal for his new team on 3 November, the second in a 3–1 away win over Crystal Palace.[34] His third goal of the campaign came on 13 December, where he scored a penalty to open the scoring in a 1–1 draw at home to West Ham United.[35]
On 3 February 2015, Gómez netted another penalty in a 3–1 win at Fulham in an FA Cup fourth round replay.[36] On 2 May, again from 12 yards, he scored once in each half as the Black Cats defeated Southampton 2–1 at the Stadium of Light.[37] The following week, his shot was deflected in by Danny Graham to give the latter his first Sunderland goal, in a 2–0 away victory over Everton;[38] still in that month, he was ruled out for the last three games of the season with a fractured kneecap.[39]
In the last minutes of the 2016 winter transfer window, after making only six appearances in the first half of the season, Gómez was loaned to Championship club Blackburn Rovers until June.[40] He scored in his debut on 6 February, helping to a 1–1 draw at Middlesbrough.[41] Three weeks later he netted twice, including a last-minute winner from a 30-yard free kick in a 3–2 win against Milton Keynes Dons at Ewood Park.[42]
Three clubs in two years
On 17 August 2016, Gómez rejoined Wigan Athletic on a one-year contract.[43] He returned to Spain after nearly nine years on 31 January 2017, signing with Rayo Vallecano of the Segunda División.[44]
Gómez moved to Bulgarian club Levski Sofia on 6 July 2017, on a two-year deal.[45]
The following campaign proved successful for team and player, as Gómez helped them qualify for the group stage of a European competition for the first time in history.[50] On 29 October 2020, he scored a goal from inside his own half in a 2–1 home loss against PSV in the Europa League, breaking the record for the furthest distance for a goal ever scored in the competition.[51] He ended the domestic league as a champion, Omonia's first in 11 years.[52]
On 25 November 2021, Gómez scored again from inside his own half in the 89th minute of a 2–2 away draw at Qarabağ in the Europa Conference League.[53] The following February, he suffered a ruptured knee ligament which kept him out of action for several months.[54] He scored his last goal for the club on 5 January in the 1–1 away draw against Pafos,[55] and in May it was announced that the 37-year-old would not be retained.[56]
