‘Papu’ says his team-mate is a ‘beast’ who is near impossible to stop when in full swing
Atalanta captain Papu Gomez is clearly a happy man to be playing with strike partner Duvan Zapata rather than against him, stating that the Colombian is “like a train” who is so big that his shorts “look like underwear”.
Zapata has been a class act so far this season, bagging a fine return of 11 Serie A goals in 15 matches, while also adding an additional six assists for his team-mates.
His strong form has continued on from the previous campaign in which he scored 28 times and notched eight assists in 48 games across all competitions.
And Gomez, who stands at a mere 5’6”, joked that even being in the same team doesn’t make the big striker any less scary when the two are paired at the head of Atalanta’s attack.
“Zapata’s shorts look like underwear, he is so big,” the skipper said on Instagram. “Sometimes I don’t even want to get close to him in a match because he’s a beast and it hurts.
“When he is feeling good he’s like a train – you throw the ball forward and ‘ciao!’”
Atalanta’s success in recent seasons is not down to just one person, however, with the club having established themselves as one of Serie A’s top sides – and no slouches in the Champions League either.
Gomez, now 32, is proud to be part of such a tight-knit and well-run squad, stating that new editions slot in seamlessly when the club sell on senior stars.
“There are people like Remo Freuler, Marten de Roon and Mario Pasalic who have three lungs and run three times as much as us attackers to support us,” he added.
“Having such attack at Atalanta is crazy, since the club doesn’t have a big budget.
“Every year, two or three of our starters are sold but the team always makes the most of it because the new ones integrate immediately.”
The club may have been shrewd with new signings in recent years, but it is homegrown talent that Gomez is currently excited about, with 17-year-old winger Amad Traore seemingly reminding the Argentine of a certain iconic countryman.
“When we play against the Primavera every Thursday, we have to ‘throw some sticks’ to stop them, because they are strong and I get p*ssed off.
“Traore, 17 years old… he looks like Messi. There are defenders in the first team that sometimes cannot stop him. Very strong players come out of Primavera every year.”
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