GOMEZ: VFL WOLFSBURG CAREER PROBED

German striker Mario Gomez sealed a return from Italian Serie A team Fiorentina to the top flight league in Germany on August 17, 2016. Gomez returned to his native Germany from Fiorentina in the colours of former Bundesliga champions VFL Wolfsburg. He had to wait for some months for his first goal in a Wolfsburg shirt. Mario Gomez scored his first goal for his new club in a 3-1 defeat to Darmstadt 98 on October 22, 2016. It was a landmark goal for Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga. Gomez was able to score the 1,000^th Bundesliga goal for Wolfsburg with his strike against Darmstadt 98.

Mario Gomez scored his first VFL Wolfsburg hat-trick in a seven-minute spell against Bayer Leverkusen. Wolfsburg came from 2-0 down to secure a thrilling 3-3 draw thanks to the treble from Gomez during the league clash played on April 2, 2017. His third goal to complete his hat-trick against Leverkusen was the 150^th German Bundesliga goal for him.

In his first season at Wolfsburg, Mario Gomez scored 16 goals in the league as his team narrowly escaped demotion to Bundesliga II by winning the relegation playoffs. In all competitions, the German attacker found the back of the net 18 times in 37 matches in his first season at the Volkswagen Arena.

Gomez was handed a new Wolfsburg contract shortly after his goals kept them in the German Bundesliga and he would go on to become their skipper. He signed a new deal in June 2017, while manager AndriesJonker made him the new Wolfsburg captain in the place of Diego Benaglio in August 2017. Mario Gomez was confirmed as the VFL Wolfsburg skipper at the start of the 2017/18 season. He scored just one goal in 15 appearances in his final half-season at Wolfsburg before he returned to VfB Stuttgart at the start of 2018.