Fernando Gago facts for kids
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Gago with Real Madrid in 2010
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| Full name | Fernando Rubén Gago | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 10 April 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ciudadela, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Necaxa (head coach) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–2004 | Boca Juniors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Boca Juniors | 61 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2012 | Real Madrid | 92 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | → Roma (loan) | 30 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Valencia | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | → Vélez Sársfield (loan) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2019 | Boca Juniors | 85 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Vélez Sarsfield | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 298 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Argentina U17 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Argentina U20 | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Argentina U23 | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2017 | Argentina | 61 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Aldosivi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Racing Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Guadalajara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Boca Juniors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Necaxa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fernando Rubén Gago is an Argentine football manager and a former player. He was born on April 10, 1986. Fernando Gago is currently the head coach for the Liga MX club Necaxa.
During his 16 years as a player, Gago was a defensive midfielder. He played for famous clubs like Boca Juniors, Real Madrid, Roma, Valencia, and Vélez Sarsfield. His playing career was affected by several serious injuries.
Gago also played for the Argentine national team from 2007 to 2017. He played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the Copa América tournaments. He also won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.
After retiring as a player, Gago became a manager. He coached Aldosivi and Racing Club in Argentina. He won two super cup trophies as a manager.
Contents
Playing Career
Starting at Boca Juniors
Fernando Gago grew up in Ciudadela, Argentina. He started playing football in the youth teams of Boca Juniors. He played his first professional game for Boca on December 5, 2004. Boca won that game 1–0 against Quilmes. On October 1, 2006, he scored his first goal for Boca Juniors in a 3–2 win.
Time at Real Madrid
On December 21, 2006, Real Madrid in Spain signed Gago. He joined them on a 6.5-year contract. He made his first appearance for Real Madrid on January 7, 2007. Real Madrid eventually won the league title that season.
In August 2008, Gago got an injury to his left knee. This made him miss the start of the new season. He scored his only goal for Real Madrid on December 7, 2008. It was in a 4–3 loss to Sevilla. He played 121 games for Real Madrid in total.
Later, under the new manager José Mourinho, Gago found it hard to get playing time. This was because of injuries and other players being preferred.
Loan to Roma
On August 31, 2011, Gago moved to the Italian club Roma on a loan. He stayed there until the end of the 2011–12 season. He made his debut for Roma on September 11. He scored his only goal for Roma on November 20 in a 2–1 win against Lecce.
Unlike his time at Real Madrid, Gago did not have many injuries while at Roma. However, Roma could not afford to buy him permanently.
Playing for Valencia and Vélez Sarsfield
On July 19, 2012, Gago joined Valencia in Spain. He signed a four-year deal. He played his first game for Valencia on August 19 against his old club, Real Madrid.
In January 2013, Gago went on a six-month loan to Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina. He had more muscle and knee problems during this time. He scored one goal in seven games for them.
Back to Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors bought half of Gago's playing rights from Valencia in July 2013. He signed a three-year contract. He wanted to be part of the Argentina team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
On September 13, 2015, Gago got a serious injury to his left Achilles tendon. This happened during a big game against River Plate. He returned to play in January 2016. On April 24, 2016, he suffered the same injury again. He came back to play in November that year. In March 2017, his contract was extended. He got another injury while playing for Argentina in October 2017. He did not fully recover until May 2018.
Boca Juniors reached the 2018 Copa Libertadores Finals against their rivals River Plate. The second game was played in Madrid. Gago came into the game late and suffered another Achilles injury. Boca lost the game 3–1.
Final Club: Vélez Sarsfield
Before the 2019–20 season, Gago left Boca Juniors. He signed a one-year contract with Vélez Sarsfield. His manager there was his former teammate, Gabriel Heinze. Gago played his first game back on August 24, 2019. In November 2020, Fernando Gago announced he was retiring from professional football at age 34.
International Career
,_Fernando_Gago_(R)_%E2%80%93_Portugal_vs._Argentina,_9th_February_2011_(1).jpg)
Gago was part of the Argentina under-20 team that won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. He played his first game for the senior national team on February 7, 2007. He played in the 2007 Copa América and won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.
He was chosen for Argentina's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played his first World Cup game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He started in other games and played in the final, which Argentina lost to Germany.
On October 5, 2017, Gago played for the national team again against Peru. In this game, his last international match, he suffered a serious knee injury.
Style of Play
Fernando Gago was known for playing as a "deep-lying playmaker." This means he played in front of the defense. He was very smart and could control the game with his passing. He was good at building up attacks and stopping the other team's plays. This helped him contribute to both offense and defense.
When he first came to Europe, people compared him to another famous Argentine player, Fernando Redondo. Gago was described as a "very dynamic footballer" who moved the ball well. He also had great vision for the game and could protect the ball.
Managerial Career
Aldosivi
On January 17, 2021, Gago became the manager of Aldosivi, an Argentine team. He resigned on September 27 after his team lost six games in a row.
Racing Club
Gago started coaching Racing Club on October 21, 2021. In June 2022, his contract was extended. His team finished second in the domestic league that year.
On November 6, 2022, his team won 2–1 against Boca Juniors in the Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional. On January 20, 2023, Racing Club beat Boca again by the same score in the Supercopa Internacional. Gago resigned from Racing Club on September 30, 2023.
Guadalajara
On December 20, 2023, the Mexican club Guadalajara announced Gago as their new head coach. He left the club on October 10, 2024.
Boca Juniors
On October 14, 2024, Boca Juniors announced Gago as their new head coach. He was relieved of his duties on April 29, 2025, after a loss in the Superclásico.
Necaxa
On June 12, 2025, Gago returned to Mexico to become the head coach of Necaxa.
Personal Life
Fernando Gago, Sergio Agüero, and Lionel Messi were all teammates when they were children in Argentina. They won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship together.
Gago loves reading and art. He was nicknamed "El Pintita," which means "the little one trying to look good." This nickname came from his youth coaches who would tell him to focus on playing instead of his hair.
Gago was married to professional tennis player Gisela Dulko. They have two sons and a daughter. They separated in 2021.
In September 2005, Gago's father passed away. In February 2021, his brother also passed away.
Career Statistics Summary
Club Appearances and Goals
Fernando Gago played a total of 298 league games and scored 8 goals in his club career.
- Boca Juniors: 146 appearances, 6 goals
- Real Madrid: 92 appearances, 1 goal
- Roma: 30 appearances, 1 goal
- Valencia: 13 appearances, 0 goals
- Vélez Sarsfield: 17 appearances, 0 goals
International Appearances and Goals
Gago played 61 games for the Argentine national team and did not score any goals.
- 2007: 13 appearances
- 2008: 7 appearances
- 2009: 7 appearances
- 2010: 1 appearance
- 2011: 7 appearances
- 2012: 8 appearances
- 2013: 3 appearances
- 2014: 11 appearances
- 2015: 3 appearances
- 2017: 1 appearance
Honours and Achievements
As a Player
Boca Juniors
- Won the Argentine Primera División five times: 2005 Apertura, 2006 Clausura, 2015, 2016–17, 2017–18
- Won the Copa Sudamericana: 2005
- Won the Recopa Sudamericana twice: 2005, 2006
- Won the Copa Argentina: 2015
Real Madrid
- Won La Liga twice: 2006–07, 2007–08
- Won the Copa del Rey: 2010–11
- Won the Supercopa de España: 2008
Vélez Sarsfield
- Won the Argentine Primera División: 2012–13
Argentina Youth Teams
- Won the FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005 (with Argentina U20)
- Won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics: 2008 (with Argentina Olympic team)
Argentina National Team
- Runner-up in the FIFA World Cup: 2014
- Runner-up in the Copa América twice: 2007, 2015
Individual Awards
- Named to the South American Team of the Year: 2005, 2006
As a Manager
Racing Club
- Won the Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional: 2022
- Won the Supercopa Internacional: 2022
Individual Awards
- Named The Best Argentine Primera División Manager: 2022
See also
In Spanish: Fernando Gago para niños
