1. Early Life and Family
Alfred Gomis was born in Ziguinchor, Senegal, on 5 September 1993. Shortly after his birth, his family relocated to Cuneo, Italy, where he spent his formative years. Gomis comes from a footballing family, with his two brothers, Lys Gomis and Maurice Gomis, also professional goalkeepers. He holds dual citizenship, being a national of both Italy and Senegal. Furthermore, he has Bissau-Guinean descent through his maternal family.
2. Club Career
Alfred Gomis' club career began in the youth ranks of Torino F.C. in Italy, leading to a series of loan spells and permanent transfers across various leagues in Italy and France before joining Palermo.
2.1. Youth and Early Professional Career
Gomis developed his skills within the Torino youth system. On 3 July 2013, he was loaned to Crotone in Serie B, marking the start of his professional career. He made his debut on 14 September in a 1-0 victory against Spezia. Despite his youth and relative inexperience, Gomis became a regular starter for Crotone during the 2013-14 season, making 39 league appearances, one playoff appearance, and one in the Coppa Italia. His strong performances at Crotone highlighted his potential. At the end of the season, Torino recalled him, making him available as a second-choice goalkeeper, behind Daniele Padelli, for the UEFA Europa League preliminaries on 31 July 2014, against Brommapojkarna.
2.2. Loan Spells in Italy
Following his time at Crotone, Gomis continued his development through several loan transfers within Italy.
On 11 August 2014, Gomis was loaned to Avellino in Serie B. The agreement included a buyout clause, with Torino retaining a buy-back clause. He made his official debut for Avellino on 17 August 2014, securing a clean sheet in a Coppa Italia match that Avellino won 2-0. His league debut came on 30 August against Pro Vercelli, a match that ended in a 1-0 defeat. On 28 October 2014, he notably saved a penalty from Rodrigo Taddei in the final minutes of a 0-0 draw against Perugia. Gomis played 31 league matches for Avellino and was ranked first among goalkeepers in Serie B by the Lega Serie B's Top 15 list.
On 30 July 2015, he was loaned to Cesena, a newly relegated Serie B club, under similar buyout and buy-back clauses favoring Torino.
The following season, on 31 August 2016, Gomis was loaned to Bologna in Serie A as an emergency signing after first-choice goalkeeper Antonio Mirante was diagnosed with a heart problem. However, Gomis himself sustained an injury shortly after his arrival. He made his debut for Bologna in the 2016-17 Coppa Italia against Verona, a match in which he kept a clean sheet. After this cup match, he was dropped from the squad for subsequent league and cup fixtures. Torino recalled him, and on 18 January 2017, he was loaned to Salernitana in Serie B for the remainder of the season.
2.3. SPAL
On 8 July 2017, Gomis joined SPAL on a loan agreement that included an obligation to buy at the end of the loan period. He made his Serie A debut for SPAL on 20 August 2017, in a match against Lazio. During the 2017-18 season, he played 26 league matches, playing a crucial role in the club's successful bid to avoid relegation from Serie A. His impressive performances led to SPAL exercising their option, and the permanent transfer was officially announced on 20 June 2018. In the subsequent 2018-19 season, he made 20 league appearances for SPAL.
2.4. Dijon
On 20 August 2019, Gomis transferred from SPAL to Dijon FCO in the French Ligue 1, signing a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. During his time at Dijon, he made a total of 24 league appearances across two seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21).
2.5. Rennes
On 29 September 2020, Gomis joined fellow Ligue 1 club Rennes on a five-year deal. He was brought in to replace the outgoing goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. In his first season with Rennes (2020-21), Gomis quickly established himself as the team's primary goalkeeper, playing 22 league matches. He also made 4 appearances in the UEFA Champions League that season. However, in the 2021-22 season, his performance declined, and he gradually lost his starting position to Doğan Alemdar. By the 2022-23 season, he had not made any league appearances for Rennes.
2.6. Subsequent Loan Spells and Current Club
After losing his place at Rennes, Gomis embarked on further loan spells. On 27 January 2023, he returned to Italy to join Como in Serie B for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, making 17 league appearances. On 2 September 2023, he was loaned to Lorient in Ligue 1 for the 2023-24 season, though he did not make any appearances for the club during this period.
On 6 July 2024, the Serie B club Palermo announced the signing of Gomis on a two-year contract. However, in his league debut for Palermo against Brescia, he suffered a severe knee injury that necessitated patellar tendon reconstruction surgery just days later, sidelining him for an extended period.
3. International Career
Alfred Gomis has represented both Italy at the youth level and Senegal at the senior level, participating in significant international tournaments for the latter.
3.1. Youth International Career
Gomis received call-ups to Italy's U20 national team in 2013 under coach Luigi Di Biagio, although he did not make any official appearances. In the same year, he was also selected for the Italy under-21 Serie B representative team by Massimo Piscedda to face a representative team from the Russian Football National League. Later, Piscedda again summoned him for a match against the Italy U21 squad played at the Partenio in Avellino. Starting on this occasion, Gomis played for 68 minutes, maintaining a clean sheet throughout his time on the field.
3.2. Senior National Team
Gomis made his senior international debut for the Senegal national team on 14 November 2017, starting in a 2-1 victory against South Africa during the final qualifying match for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In May 2018, he was named in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
He was also part of the Senegal squad that competed in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where the team finished as runners-up. Gomis played a key role in Senegal's historic victory at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, which they won. Following this triumph, he was appointed a Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion by the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, in 2022, in recognition of the team's achievement. He was also part of the Senegal squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
4. Playing Style
Alfred Gomis is particularly noted for his skill as a penalty kick stopper. In an analysis conducted by Sky Sports in October 2016, Gomis recorded an impressive penalty save rate of 45.83%, ranking him second among evaluated goalkeepers at the time. This ability highlights his agility, anticipation, and composure under pressure in crucial moments of a match.
5. Career Statistics
5.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Crotone (loan) | 2013-14 | Serie B | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| Torino | 2014-15 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| Avellino (loan) | 2014-15 | Serie B | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 0 | ||
| Cesena (loan) | 2015-16 | Serie B | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| Bologna (loan) | 2016-17 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| Salernitana (loan) | 2016-17 | Serie B | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 21 | 0 | ||
| SPAL (loan) | 2017-18 | Serie A | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 28 | 0 | ||
| SPAL | 2018-19 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 21 | 0 | ||
| Total | 46 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 0 | ||
| Dijon | 2019-20 | Ligue 1 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2020-21 | Ligue 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| Rennes | 2020-21 | Ligue 1 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 27 | 0 | |
| 2021-22 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2022-23 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 47 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 0 | ||
| Como (loan) | 2022-23 | Serie B | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 17 | 0 | ||
| Lorient (loan) | 2023-24 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Palermo | 2024-25 | Serie B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 263 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 286 | 0 | ||
5.2. International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 0 | |
6. Honours and Awards
6.1. Team Honours
- Africa Cup of Nations:
- Winner: 2021
- Runner-up: 2019
6.2. Individual Awards
- Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion: 2022
7. Legacy and Reception
Alfred Gomis has established himself as a respected figure in Senegalese football, contributing to his national team's success in major tournaments, including their historic Africa Cup of Nations victory in 2021. His consistent performances as a goalkeeper for various clubs across Italy and France have underscored his professional dedication and skill. Despite facing challenges such as injuries and competition for starting roles, Gomis's career highlights his resilience. His recognition with the Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion signifies his standing as a national hero in Senegal, reflecting his impact beyond the football pitch and solidifying his legacy as a significant contributor to Senegalese sports.