Unai Gomez, Udinese’s latest signing, is a compelling mix of Basque grit and mettle with classic Spanish quality and versatility.
The 23-year-old has signed a five-year deal with the club until 30 June 2031.
Gomez joins from Athletic Club, a historic Spanish side renowned as a fertile breeding ground for talent. He’s a modern midfielder possessing natural playmaking instincts and a knack for providing assists. One of his standout traits is his remarkable versatility, which allows him to operate anywhere across the centre of the park, from the attacking midfield role to the heart of the engine room, or even as a mobile forward capable of roaming across the entire attacking line.
Unai was born in Bermeo, in the Basque Country, on 25 May 2003. He began playing football for his hometown team but joined Athletic’s youth academy at age 10, progressing through the ranks of the historic Basque club. He went on to make his professional debut during the 2021/22 season with feeder club Baskonia in the Tercera Division.
The following season he returned from his loan spell and played 34 matches - scoring two goals - for Athletic’s reserve team, while also training regularly with the senior squad.
He made the permanent step up to the senior team the following year and immediately played a key role for the Basque giants, making eight appearances in their Copa del Rey-winning campaign and playing 25 matches (scoring two goals) in La Liga. During the 2024/25 season he really kicked on in terms of his consistency. Unai made one appearance in the Spanish Super Cup and one in the Copa del Rey, as well as 13 Europa League appearances (scoring once) and 32 La Liga appearances (also netting one goal). This positive trend continued into the most recent campaign, where he played seven times in the Champions League, 26 times in La Liga (scoring once), three times in the Copa del Rey (scoring once) and once in the Spanish Super Cup.
In total, he made 117 appearances for Athletic across all competitions, scoring six goals. He also picked up one cap for the Spain U21 national team.
Welcome, Unai!