Of all the goalkeepers he faced in his career – from Premier League greats like David De Gea and Petr Cech, to Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas – Darren Bent says Heurelho Gomes is actually the toughest keeper he ever played against.
Bent, of course, knows all about Tottenham Hotspur from his own time at the club, having scored 25 goals in 79 games for the Lilywhites during his spell in North London (Transfermarkt).
In his spells at clubs such as Sunderland and Aston Villa, Bent also came up against Spurs, with varying degrees of success.
Even at Tottenham, great keepers such as Hugo Lloris and Brad Friedel have stood in Bent’s way, but Heurelho Gomes, one of the club’s more divisive shot-stoppers, has received high praise from the former striker.
When discussing his toughest opponents for talkSPORT recently, Bent landed on Gomes as the goalkeeper who made his life most difficult during his playing days.
He said: “I would put Heurelho Gomes. He was the hardest I played against, he saved four penalties from me.”
Gomes made 134 appearances for Tottenham, conceding 149 goals. The fact he kept 46 clean sheets is often overshadowed by a number of mistakes the Brazilian keeper made from time to time.
As Bent says, on his day, Gomes was top-rate and even saved two penalties from the striker in one eventful game between Spurs and Sunderland.
Despite his difficulties at times, Gomes did earn the affection of Spurs fans, by and large, and would go on to garner even more adoration at Watford during his spell there.
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I mean, Bent isn’t saying Gomes is the best keeper he faced, but on a more personal level, I guess the fact he saved those penalties really stuck in his head. Funny how the game works, isn’t it, that even the most inconspicuous players can come away with a certain reputation in the minds of other players.
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