Cheerful Gomes has the last laugh

London: Heurelho Gomes boasts a beaming smile that could thaw any icy road or pavement. Heading towards a potentially momentous 2010, Tottenham's Brazil international certainly has plenty to smile about.

Gomes is going to the World Cup in South Africa and is definitely going places with Harry Redknapp's Spurs, who lie fourth in the Premier League table after defeating Fulham in a tricky Boxing Day fixture. After a shaky start to his time at White Hart Lane, the £7.8 million signing from PSV Eindhoven is in the form of his life.

Pat Jennings even hailed Gomes' save from Portsmouth's Younes Kaboul as on a par with Gordon Banks's scooping stop from Pele in 1970. The homelands of Pele and Banks dominate Gomes's thoughts. "Brazil and England are the two most important football nations in the world," said the 28 year-old, relaxing after training. "England invented the game and Brazil perfected it. We made the game beautiful!

Childhood passion

"The passion for football in Brazil is amazing. Not every father puts a ball in the cot of a newborn son but many do! I know Ronaldinho slept with his ball from the very beginning. I have two daily training sessions. I train at Tottenham and then go back home and play more football because my two sons want to play."

Chatty and cheerful, Brazil's No 2 goalkeeper gave a rare glimpse into the world's most famous side. "The best team atmosphere I have ever had in my life is with Brazil. It's not just because I'm playing for my country but because the atmosphere is always upbeat, always happy. There's always music.

"If I go to training one day and there is no samba or pagod, another Brazilian rhythm, the players don't feel well. The players who get the music going are Maicon, Luizao, Robinho, Julio Baptista and Dani Alves."

Gomes is certainly kept moving in Brazil training. "It's difficult to face such quality, like Fabiano and Robinho. Dani Alves moves the free-kicks most. It's unbelievable. When Adriano is there, he's a great finisher. I just think that if I can do well against such huge quality I can do well anywhere!"

Gomes's quality was memorably seen in denying Kaboul. "It was a very difficult ball to get to because I was falling to one side and the ball was getting away from me."

So how on earth did he reach the ball? "I am athletic and because I was concentrating hard I'd anticipated it. But I do feel really flattered that Jennings complimented my wonderful save, comparing it to Banks's save from Pele. I still feel Banks's was better.

"In the past, Brazilian people only talked about forwards. Goalkeepers were never thought important. But Brazilian goalkeepers have been improving because of the work done by coaches and because of Taffarel. He was the first Brazilian goalkeeper who played in Europe and everybody tried to emulate him and his style."

As Taffarel proved at Parma, Gomes has also developed at Spurs, facing some high-quality finishers in training.

"Jermain Defoe could play for Brazil. He is similar to a Brazil striker. Defoe is very quick, finishes well, he's complete."

And the managers? "Dunga is more serious than Harry. Definitely. But Dunga smiles when we score. They are both good managers but they don't scare us. They are nice people."

When brickbats came his way, following a few mistakes, his strong character guided him through. "My humility helped me deal with criticism. I always try to lead my life in a correct, respectful way and that gives me more strength."

Factfile:

Full name: Heurelho da Silva Gomes

Date of birth: February 15, 1981 Age: 28

Place of birth: João Pinheiro, Brazil

Height: 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)

Playing position: Goalkeeper

Club information

Current club: Tottenham Hotspur

Number: 1

Senior career:

Years Team Apps (Gls)

2001-2004: Cruzeiro 59 (0)

2004-2008: PSV 128 (0)

2008: Tottenham Hotspur 45 (0)

National team

2004: Brazil U-23 8 (0)

2003: Brazil 9 (0)