Gooden, who played as a midfielder, featured for teams Arsenal, Wycombe Wanderers, Swindon Town, Gillingham and Canvey Island.
Gooden started his playing career at Arsenal, where he featured regularly for the club's academy teams.
[1] Gooden was then signed by Gillingham manager Peter Taylor for £100,000, in a deal that saw Swindon teammate Iffy Onuora join the Kent club as well.
[5][8] In March 2004 he suffered a pull to his hamstring during Canvey's FA Trophy quarterfinal win over Maidenhead United.
After a brief spell with the Black Cats, Gooden then signed a deal which saw him work as a scout for Arsenal firstly within Belgium and thereafter in France.