ANTONIO GÓMEZ
UEFA PRO COACH

Former professional football player trained in the Real Madrid youth academy where he made his first-team debut in the 1995-96 season with coach Jorge Valdano and was key in the transfer of Davor Šuker. After Real Madrid, he played for several teams, including Sevilla F.C., Albacete Balompié, Hércules C.F. and C.D. Toledo, before retiring early due to injury at La Roda Club de Fútbol. As a coach, he started training in the lower categories of Toledo and La Roda, achieving a promotion. The following two years, he led the Cadet and Youth Honor teams of Albacete, whom he made league champions in both years. Then, he joined Liverpool FC as Rafa Benítez's assistant and Reserves team manager. Later, he was the coach of Real Valladolid before returning to Albacete Balompié, where he managed to get the first team into the Playoffs and QF of King´s Cup in his first year. Afterwards, he worked as a field assistant for Rafa Benítez at SSC Napoli, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Dalian Yifang and Everton.

I completed a Master's in Football Administration from the Royal Spanish Football Federation in 2009. During my Master's program, I gained extensive knowledge in various areas of sports management, including marketing, finance, event planning, and athlete management. I learned how to create effective marketing campaigns to promote sports events and teams, develop and manage budgets for sports organizations, and plan and execute successful sporting events. In addition, I gained valuable insights into athlete management, including how to identify and recruit top talent, negotiate contracts, and create training and performance plans. I also learned about the legal and ethical considerations involved in sports management, including issues related to athlete welfare and sports doping. Overall, my Master's program in Sports Management provided me with a solid foundation in the principles and practices of sports management, which has enabled me to pursue a successful career in this field.