Angel Gomes made his senior debut as a substitute for Wayne Rooney. He played ten times for Manchester United as a teenager. But in 2020 he raised eyebrows across the footballing world by leaving not only United, or the Premier League, but the country.
A new adventure in France caught many by surprise, but it was always the plan for Gomes, whose father played in six different countries including France.
Gomes was born in London and grew up in Manchester. Both of his parents were born in Angola, with his father raised in Portugal and mother in Cuba. One-time Manchester United and Portugal winger Nani is his godfather. With that eclectic background, it’s little surprise he looked beyond Manchester.
Six years after leaving the UK for France, he’s back on home soil, and his decision was justified. The 25-year-old returned to the Premier League on deadline day as a full England international, with silverware and Champions League experience to his name.
Speaking in the media suite at Compton Park, the topic of his pathway oversees piques Gomes’ interest. A loan at Boavista provided a first taste of regular football, but it was at Lille where the midfielder’s career took off, playing 134 times across four seasons.
After a brief stint at Marseille, he’s now returned to Molineux as a more experienced footballer, capable of playing across the midfield, and enriched from stepping outside of his comfort zone and setting the foundations for his career overseas.
“I was definitely sure I wanted to go abroad,” he revealed. “There were a lot of factors that would suit me as a person, as a player, playing abroad. It was important to make that next step in my career. I loved my time at United, growing up there as a kid, but at that moment in my career, it was important for me to go into the unknown and to learn a lot about myself.
“When I was younger at United, I used to watch the teams abroad. I used to love watching the Spanish league, the Italian league, and I grew up with that, with my dad playing in Portugal, Italy, and he’d always have a lot of stories and a lot of the players that I watched didn't necessarily play in the Premier League, so I always had an idea of playing abroad.
“The Premier League is the biggest league in the world and has the most money. Every year, the best players are joining the league, so, naturally, for younger players, it's harder to cement a place in a first team. A lot of players will see others go down that path and still be successful. It's a brave thing to do, but if you're willing and can handle it, it's a good opportunity.”
When packing up and heading to France in 2020, it wasn’t on-the-pitch matters which brought uncertainty for Gomes, who’d experienced football on the continent as a youth player with England and Manchester United, but the language.
But as a fast learner, he soon picked up French, adding it to his already wide language repertoire, which includes English, Portuguese and Spanish. It’s a tool which has served him well during the early days within Wolves’ multilingual dressing room but didn’t come without hard work.
“It was difficult because I didn't know the language, I’d only done it in school, when I didn’t think I would be making the step to France. Adjusting to everything was different, a different environment, country, food, meetings, players – everything. I had to get around that very quickly.
“The language took me longer than I expected. I understood everything football wise, but in terms of conversations, going shopping, getting food and stuff like that, it was a bit more difficult. The main thing was football, and football speaks for itself, really.
“It was more a tactical change. In France, I learned a lot tactically about the game, about positioning and how each game is really different. Obviously, in England, I was at one of the biggest clubs in the world, so the expectation and how you go into games was completely different, so I had to adapt and get used to that.”
Four Gomeses. One unforgettable day 🤩
— Young Wolves (@Young_Wolves) March 31, 2026
Our Young Wolves had the best time at Drayton Manor for Meet The Gomeses 🐺
⁰Meeting João Gomes, Toti Gomes, Rodrigo Gomes & Angel Gomes, snapping photos, sharing laughs… and of course making the most of the rides 🎢 pic.twitter.com/OiuhvQDVj0
By the 2023/24 season, Gomes was flourishing. He finished Ligue 1’s joint top assister, fresh from starring in England’s U21 Euros success the previous summer – his second honour with the Young Lions, having captained his country to the U17 World Cup in 2017.
That 2023 glory came alongside Wolves links win Tommy Doyle and Morgan Gibbs-White, and under the stewardship of Lee Carsley. A little over one year later, Carsley was in temporary charge of the senior team for the Three Lions’ Nations League campaign. It was then that Gomes’ form in France and relationship with Carsley were rewarded.
“It was always a vision of mine to play for the national team. It's always been a dream. You have to make yourself as visible as possible if you're not in England, because I can't guarantee that people will watch the French league, that's not through ignorance, it’s just the reality.
“I felt playing abroad, it was harder to be in the vision of the national team, the Premier League's the biggest league in the world, so for me it was important to try to play as well as I can. Then, in European competitions, I tried to showcase myself in that aspect, and then with the 21s, show myself there as well for that visibility.”
Last summer, Gomes switched Lille for Marseille but didn’t settle in the south of France the same as the north. He’s now returned to England, a decision he was always open to, but he’d recommend his alternate route to first-team Premier League football to any young players making their way in the game.
“I never ruled out coming back to England. A lot of people thought maybe I'd come back sooner, but it was about what made sense for me. At this point, it was a good window, a good opportunity to come back and to play in the Premier League.
“There's a lot of highly skilled, talented young players that would suit different leagues to England. It allows you to learn a lot about yourself, and you learn a lot with other players in different leagues that have had that experience as well. I personally learned a lot from different players from the biggest teams in Europe, and it was beneficial, so could be beneficial for a lot of players.”
Now, Gomes has reunited with Rob Edwards – a relationship which dates back to their time together at the FA. The head coach was a big reason behind the midfielder’s move to Wolves late in the window.
Naturally, the 25-year-old is aware of the club’s situation but is completely focused on both helping his new side and enjoying his football back in the UK, under someone he respects greatly in the game.
“Rob’s been great for me. I've seen the transition he's also gone through, from being together in the 20s. He’s obviously the same guy and has a real drive and ambition, and he wants to see the club really succeed. Since I've been in, it's been really refreshing.
“I've loved the experience so far being here, everyone's made me feel really settled and, for me, that was important. The attention to detail since I've been back has been really good. I obviously know that the situation for the club has been difficult for the players, but the vibe and the camp has been great. It's been really positive so far.”
