Morgaro Lima Gomis (born 14 July 1985) is a Senegalese professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who last played as a
defensive midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for Kelantan United.
Starting his career in France, Gomis spent most of his early career in English
non-League football
Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...
before moving to
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...
side
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 18 ...
. His performances earned him a move to
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
in January 2007, where he exceeded expectations and was young player of the year for 2007–08. He was part of the Dundee United side that won the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
and was the first African to have played 100 times for the club. He left the club when his contract expired at the end of the 2010–11 season to join
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
side
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
. Gomis left Birmingham City in July 2013, having made 43 appearances for the club. He then rejoined Dundee United for a season before signing for Hearts in 2014. In 2016, he was loaned to
Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...
and made 10 appearances for the club before joining
Kelantan
Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode").
Kelantan is located in the ...
in July 2016. After spending time with Omani club
Sur SC
Sur or SUR or El Sur (Spanish "the South") may refer to:
Geography
* Sur or Shur (Bible), the wilderness of Sur/Shur from the Book of Exodus
* Sur (river), a river of Bavaria, Germany
* Súr, a village in Hungary
* Sur, a district of the city of ...
in 2018, he returned to Scotland in January 2019 for a third spell with Dundee United, and joined Falkirk for the 2019–20 season. Following his release from Falkirk in May 2021 he signed for fellow
Scottish League One
The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was e ...
club
Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
.
Although born in Paris and self-identifying as French, Gomis represented Senegal at international level, for whom he qualified through his Senegalese parents.
Career
Early career
Gomis was at
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
in his youth and had unsuccessful trials with
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
,
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...
non-League football
Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...
. In 2004, he signed for Windsor & Eton and featured in 18 league matches, scoring once. In January 2005, Gomis moved to Dagenham & Redbridge but the move quickly became controversial after an agent became involved in a contract row with the club. Gomis left in March 2005 without making an appearance and rejoined Windsor, playing in five matches before the end of the season. Gomis had a short stay with
Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
at the start of the 2005–06 season – where he featured in a matchday squad once as an unused substitute – but his month-to-month contract was not renewed and he moved to
Lewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...
. He made his league debut in a 5–2 defeat of
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...
on 15 Octoberthe club website's match report suggested that manager Steve King "may well have unearthed another little gem in Morgaro Gomis, whose contribution after arriving on the field as a 55th minute substitute was key to the eventual success."and played in fourteen
Conference South
The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
matches, scoring once, during the season.
Cowdenbeath
In July 2006, Gomis moved to Scotland and joined
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 18 ...
who at the time were managed by
Mixu Paatelainen
Mika-Matti Petteri Paatelainen (born 3 February 1967) is a Finnish former professional football player and the head coach of Veikkausliiga club HIFK. He scored 18 goals in 70 appearances for the Finnish national team, which makes him Finland's ...
. While at the
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
club, Gomis scored twice: he "floated home a delightful shot from 20 yards high into the visitors' net" in a 4–2 win against
Peterhead
Peterhead (; gd, Ceann Phàdraig, sco, Peterheid ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement (the city of Aberdeen itself not being a part of the district), with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. ...
and a stoppage-time header to secure a 3–2 win at home to
Forfar Athletic
Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League Two. They play their home games a ...
.
Dundee United
On 8 December, just four months after his Cowdenbeath debut, Gomis agreed a move to
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...
side
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
and joined in January 2007, signing until the end of the following season. Such was Gomis's earlier-than-expected impact – manager
Craig Levein
Craig William Levein (born 22 October 1964) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He is currently a full-time advisor to the board of directors at Highland Football League club Brechin City.
During his playing career ...
had said upon signing him that he would not go straight into the first team – that he was given a two-year extension to his contract in September 2007. In January 2009, Gomis received a further extension to his contract. Gomis received the first winner's medal of his senior career as a member of the Dundee United squad that won the 2010 Scottish Cup Final against Ross County.
In April 2011, manager
Peter Houston
Peter Houston (born 19 July 1958) is a Scottish football player and manager who is currently assistant manager of the Scotland under-21 side.
Houston played as a striker for Airdrieonians, Livingston United, Albion Rovers, Falkirk, Dumbart ...
indicated that he expected Gomis to leave at the end of the season because the club was unable to match the player's demands.
Birmingham City
On 16 June 2011,
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
club
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
completed the signing of free agent Gomis on a two-year deal. He made his debut in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
on the opening day of the 2011–12 season, playing the whole of a 2–1 defeat at
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
. At home to
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
, Gomis, described by the ''
Telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
s reporter as "combin ngindustry with silky passes from his deep-lying central midfield position", played a "deliciously weighted pass" behind the defence from which Jean Beausejour crossed for Chris Wood to open the scoring.
In May 2013, Birmingham confirmed that they were not going to take up their option to extend Gomis' contract, so he was to leave the club at the end of the season when his existing deal expired.
Return to Dundee United
After training with the club for several weeks, Gomis rejoined Dundee United on 10 October 2013; he signed a contract until the end of the 2013–14 season. He made his first appearance on 26 October, in a 4–0 victory against St Mirren. On 12 April 2014, he came on as a substitute in the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Ibrox as United defeated Rangers 3–1, progressing to
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, in which he was an unused substitute as Dundee United lost 2-0 to St Johnstone. With John Rankin and Paul Paton an established pairing in midfield, Gomis struggled for game time. He made only five starts and sixteen substitute appearances in all competitions, and was among nine players to be released by the club when their contracts expired at the end of the season.
Heart of Midlothian
On 12 June 2014, Gomis signed for Heart of Midlothian on a three-year contract. He was the first signing under the management of
Robbie Neilson
Robbie Neilson (born 19 June 1980) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian.
Neilson, who played as a right-back, started his senior career with ...
, as well as the first signing since Hearts came out of
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
. On 30 November, he was sent off in the eighth minute of Hearts' Scottish Cup fourth-round match at home to
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
for a two-footed challenge on
Scott Brown Scott Brown may refer to:
Sportsmen
*Scott Brown (American football), American college football coach of Kentucky State
* Scott Brown (baseball) (born 1956), former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
*Scott Brown (footballer, bor ...
; Hearts lost the match 4–0.
In February 2016, Gomis moved on loan to fellow
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...
club
Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...
until the end of the season.
Kelantan
On 11 July 2016, Gomis signed for
Kelantan
Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode").
Kelantan is located in the ...
on a one-year contract, becoming the second signing of Kelantan for second transfer window under the new head coach, Velizar Popov.
On 3 December 2017, Gomis extended his contract with Kelantan for another year.
Third spell at Dundee United
Gomis spent time with
Sur SC
Sur or SUR or El Sur (Spanish "the South") may refer to:
Geography
* Sur or Shur (Bible), the wilderness of Sur/Shur from the Book of Exodus
* Sur (river), a river of Bavaria, Germany
* Súr, a village in Hungary
* Sur, a district of the city of ...
of the
Oman Professional League
The Oman Professional League ( ar, دوري المحترفين عمان; known as the ''Omantel Professional League'' for sponsorship reasons), previously known as the Omantel Elite League, is the top division of the Oman Football Association, an ...
in 2018 before returning to Scotland where he trained with Dundee United. On 11 January 2019, he signed for his third spell with the club, saying that he " as lookingforward to playing in front of the United fans again." Towards the end of his first league appearance of the new spell, a 1–0 defeat to
Ayr United
Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is ...
, he was sent off for a second yellow card. Gomis was released by United on 6 May, before the
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
.
Falkirk
On 18 June 2019, Gomis signed for
Falkirk
Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a ...
on a one-year contract.
Clyde
On 27 May 2021, Gomis signed for
Scottish League One
The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was e ...
side
Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
. On 23 December 2022, Gomis left the club by mutual consent.
International career
In March 2009, Gomis received his first international call-up, being named in
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
and
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. Having been born in France of Senegalese parents, Gomis had always considered himself to be French, but was reportedly "flattered and surprised" by the call-up. Having initially said he would consider carefully whether to accept, he later announced his decision to play for Senegal. He made his debut that week in the starting eleven against Oman, a 2–0 defeat, and played as a substitute in the 1–1 draw with Iran.
Career statistics
Honours
Lewes
*
Sussex Senior Challenge Cup
The Sussex Senior Cup is an annual association football knock-out cup competition for men's football clubs in the English county of Sussex and is the county senior cup of the Sussex FA. Its official name is the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup. F ...
: 2005–06
Dundee United
*
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
Heart of Midlothian
*
Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland
Scotland (, ...