Mario Gómez (footballer, born May 1981)

Mario Gómez (born May 6, 1981) is a retired German footballer who primarily played as a striker.

Gómez had a prolific career spanning multiple clubs and the German national team. He began his professional career at VfB Stuttgart, where he rose to prominence and won the Bundesliga title in 2006-07. His goalscoring record attracted the attention of Bayern Munich, where he played from 2009 to 2013, winning two Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokal titles, and the Champions League in 2013.

After Bayern Munich, Gómez played for Fiorentina in Italy, Beşiktaş in Turkey (where he won the Süper Lig title), and VfL Wolfsburg before returning to VfB Stuttgart, where he eventually retired in 2020.

At the international level, Gómez represented Germany from 2007 to 2018. He participated in two European Championships (2008, 2012, 2016) and the 2010 World Cup. He scored 31 goals in 78 appearances for the German national team. Gómez was known for his strong physique, aerial ability, and clinical finishing.