Santiago Gómez (footballer, born 1998)

Santiago Gómez Realpe (born 27 May 1998) is a Colombian footballer currently playing as a right-back for Equidad Seguros.

Early life
Gómez was born in Pasto in the Nariño Department of Colombia to Giraldo Gómez, a former amateur footballer who played in Sandoná, also in the Nariño Department. As a child, Gómez studied at the Liceo de la Universidad de Nariño, where he also played football.

Club career
Having played football since the age of four with his cousins on local pitches, Gómez's first club in organised football was the Escuela de Fútbol Club Javeriano, where he stayed until the age of fifteen. He was a contestant on Colombian television show Sueño Fútbol, broadcast on RCN Televisión in 2016. Having finished in the top twenty-two players, he was offered contracts at both Patriotas Boyacá and Deportivo Pasto, joining the former in mid-2016. He was later approached by an affiliate of Portuguese club Porto in Bogotá, where Sueño Fútbol had taken place.

In 2018 he was signed by Deportivo Pasto, and having initially played for their under-20 squad, he was promoted to the first team mid-way through his first season. He was named once on the bench during his time with the club, in a Categoría Primera A fixture against his previous club, Patriotas Boyacá, though he did not feature.

The following year, having left Deportivo Pasto, he travelled to the Dominican Republic, and eventually signed with Liga Dominicana de Fútbol side Atlántico. The 2020 campaign was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic; scheduled to start in March, it was postponed until 9 October. Having made his debut on 18 October, Gómez scored his first goal for the club a week later on 25 October, the only goal in a 1–0 win against Cibao; having come on as a late substitute for Welkin Luis, he received the ball inside the penalty area two minutes later from compatriot Over García, before scoring past Cibao goalkeeper Miguel Lloyd. His second goal for the club came on 7 November: the third of a 3–0 win against Jarabacoa.

He returned to Colombia in 2021, and asked Deportivo Pasto manager Flabio Torres if he could train with the club. After spending over a year on trial, including being involved in the first team's pre-season preparations, he was offered a contract in July 2022. He made his first appearance for the club on 15 September of the same year, playing ninety minutes in a 2–0 away loss to Deportivo Cali.

Club

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