Technical Director of the international Red Bull Soccer team, investor in food start-up Organic Garden & family man. Mario Gomez is a former professional soccer player and German international.
Mario Gomez was born in 1985 in Riedlingen, Baden-Württemberg, to a German mother and a Spanish father. He received his early education at the “Johann-Friedrich-von-Cotta-Schule”, an “elite school of soccer”, where he received individual lessons. He abandoned a commercial apprenticeship he had begun in favor of his soccer career.
Mario Gomez – The career after his career.
Gomez began his professional career at VfB Stuttgart, where he made his Bundesliga debut under coach Felix Magath on May 8, 2004. He achieved his first major success in 2007, when he became German champion with VfB and was voted Footballer of the Year.
The record transfer to FC Bayern Munich followed in 2009 for a then Bundesliga record sum of 30-35 million euros. He enjoyed his most successful period at Bayern and established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s most prolific strikers. He won two doubles in Munich and the Champions League in 2013.
After spells at AC Florence and Beşiktaş Istanbul, where he became Turkish champion and top scorer, he returned to VfB Stuttgart via VfL Wolfsburg in 2018. He played a total of 78 games for the German national team between 2007 and 2018, scoring 31 goals. He took part in the 2010 and 2018 World Cups and the 2008, 2012 and 2016 European Championships.
After his career ended in 2020, he moved into an official role and has been Technical Director at Red Bull Soccer International since January 2022, where he is responsible for the strategic direction of the company’s soccer division.
As a talk guest or panel participant, Mario Gomez talks about, among other things:
- The importance of crises for personal development
- Dealing with public criticism and success
- The transformation from active player to “technical director”
His career has been characterized by great success at club level, but also by criticism, especially in the national team. Nevertheless, he established himself as one of the most successful German strikers of his generation.