In the middle of 1988, he signed with S.L. Benfica of Portugal, alongside compatriot Valdo, a midfielder. Both were important elements in their debut season, as Benfica won the national championship, a feat which was again accomplished in 1991, with the defender scoring an astonishing 17 goals in both conquests combined, due to his superb aerial ability.
Both Gomes and Valdo left for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in the middle of 1991, and both would return four years later to Lisbon, having won a total of four titles, including the 1993–94first division title. In his second Benfica spell, he played sparingly, but still managed to score four times in the league, and helped the team win the domestic cup, before retiring from football in June 1996, at only 31.
Gomes was also selected – again as captain – to the 1994 World Cup, but had to be removed from the squad in the last hour, due to injury. Additionally, he was part of the team that won the silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
In the following four seasons, Gomes worked again in France, with FC Girondins de Bordeaux[3] then going on to manage Monégasque side AS Monaco FC, leaving his post at the latter in late May 2009, with the team eventually ranking 11th.
On 28 August 2011, 46-year-old Gomes suffered a stroke during the match between Flamengo and Vasco da Gama. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance with the game still playing,[4][5] and was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain hemorrhage that required emergency head surgery.[6]
In August 2016, Gomes was appointed as the head coach of São Paulo FC. However, on 23 November 2016, he was dismissed following poor form which left São Paulo one point away from the relegation zone.[9]
On 5 September 2018, after two months as Santos FC's director of football, Gomes was announced as the head coach of Bordeaux, returning to the post after several weeks following the sacking of previous manager Gus Poyet.[10]
^"Bicampeões para a história" [Back-to-back champions for the ages]. Visão (in Portuguese). Portugal: Impresa Publishing. May 2015. p. 58. ISSN0872-3540.
