Palmeiras captain Gustavo Gomez discusses almost joining Boca Juniors, the upcoming Libertadores semi-final against them, Edinson Cavani and Erling Haaland..

“It’s a dream to join Boca Juniors,” Gustavo Gomez told the Argentinian titan’s official TV channel in 2018. He’d posed for official photos in the hallowed blue-and-yellow hoops, passed a medical, and even formulated a diet with Los Xeneizes’ nutritionists. A pen was in his hand ready to apply the GG signature to the starred, CABJ-crested paper. Then, suddenly, his manager spotted something had changed in the small print and, despite it being relatively trivial, it was enough to send Team Gomez on a flight back to Milan. Soon, the stylish, solid centre-back was flying back out of Malpensa Airport and into South America. This time he said ‘I do’ to a heavenly marriage. Gomez has propelled Palmeiras to 10 titles – seven in the armband – in five years. The 2020 and 2021 Copa Libertadores champions – they dramatically lost to Athletico Paranaense in last year’s semi-finals – are now out to cement their status as one of the most successful sides in South American history.