Gabriel Heinze facts for kids
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Heinze in 2022
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gabriel Iván Heinze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 19 April 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Crespo, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Newell's Old Boys | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2001 | Valladolid | 54 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | → Sporting CP (loan) | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Paris Saint-Germain | 99 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Manchester United | 52 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Real Madrid | 44 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Marseille | 58 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Roma | 30 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Newell's Old Boys | 54 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 404 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Argentina Olympic | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Argentina | 72 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Godoy Cruz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Argentinos Juniors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Vélez Sarsfield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Atlanta United | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Newell's Old Boys | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gabriel Iván Heinze, born on April 19, 1978, is a famous Argentine football coach and a former player. When he played, he was a defender, usually on the left side or in the center.
People called him Gringo. He became well-known playing for Paris Saint-Germain. Later, he moved to big clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid, where he won three important trophies. He played football for 18 years, starting and ending his career with a team called Newell's Old Boys.
Gabriel also played 72 times for the Argentine national team. He even played in two FIFA World Cup tournaments and two Copa América tournaments. After he stopped playing, he became a coach in 2015, managing four different teams in Argentina's top league.
Contents
Playing Career
Early Football Days
Gabriel Heinze was born in Crespo, Entre Ríos, Argentina. His family background is from Germany and Italy. He started playing football in Argentina for Newell's Old Boys. When he was 19, many European clubs noticed him. He then joined Real Valladolid in Spain. He didn't play much in his first year there. In 1998, he was loaned to Sporting CP in Portugal.
After playing 36 league games in the 2000–01 season, Heinze moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France. He played over 100 games for them in three years. He helped the team win the Coupe de France (French Cup) in 2004.
Time at Manchester United
In June 2004, Heinze joined Manchester United in England. He cost about £6.9 million. In his first game on September 11, he scored a goal against Bolton Wanderers. He quickly became the team's main left-back (a defender on the left side). Fans loved him and often chanted "Ar-gen-tina!" He was even voted the club's best player for the 2004–05 season.
On September 14, 2005, Heinze got injured during a UEFA Champions League match. This meant he couldn't play for the rest of the 2005–06 season. Before his injury, he had scored two goals in the Champions League. He tried to come back in April 2006 with the reserve team. But another small injury stopped him from playing for the main team that season. Because of his injury, Manchester United signed another player, Patrice Evra, who became the main left-back.
Heinze returned to play for United in the 2006–07 season. He started playing as a central defender (in the middle of the defense) because other players were injured. After the team won the Premier League title, he was made captain for the last two games of the season.
Later, Heinze wasn't happy because he wasn't playing regularly. He wanted to move to Liverpool, a rival team. But Manchester United said no to the offer.
Moving to Real Madrid
On August 22, 2007, Heinze joined Real Madrid in Spain. He signed a four-year deal for about £8 million. He was the third player from Manchester United to join Real Madrid that year. He played his first game on September 2 as a substitute. On March 30, 2008, he scored his first goal for Real Madrid. He played 20 games in his first season and helped the team win the league title.
In his second year at Real Madrid, he played more often. However, the team didn't win any major trophies that season, except for the 2008 Supercopa de España.
Playing for Marseille
On July 30, 2009, Heinze joined Marseille in France. He signed a two-year deal. In his first year, he scored four league goals in 27 matches, which was his best scoring record. Marseille won both the French league (Ligue 1) and the Coupe de la Ligue (League Cup) that season. On March 27, 2010, he started in the League Cup final, which Marseille won. This was their first big title since 1993. On May 5, he scored the first goal in a game that helped Marseille win the league title. The team's coach, Didier Deschamps, called that season an "extraordinary human adventure."
Heinze continued to be a strong defender for Marseille in the 2010–11 season. On March 20, 2011, he scored from a free kick against his old club, PSG, helping Marseille win 2-1. On June 1, 2011, Marseille announced that Heinze, who was 33, would leave the club.
Later Playing Years
Heinze joined Serie A team AS Roma in Italy on July 22, 2011. He had left Marseille at the end of June. He played his first game for Roma on September 11. After playing in 25 official games, his contract was automatically extended for another year. However, just five months later, Roma announced that he was leaving the club.
The day after leaving Roma, he rejoined his first club, Newell's Old Boys, in Argentina. He signed a two-year deal there.
International Career
Heinze first played for the Argentine national team on April 30, 2003, in a friendly game against Libya. The next year, he was one of three older players chosen for the Argentina U23 team. This team won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He scored a goal in a 6–0 win against Serbia and Montenegro during the group stage.
Even though he missed most of the 2005–06 season with Manchester United due to injury, Heinze was chosen to play in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He started in the quarter-final game against Germany, which Argentina lost after a penalty shootout.
Heinze also played in the 2007 Copa América. He scored a goal with his head from a free kick in the semi-finals against Mexico. Argentina won that game 3–0 but ended up as runners-up in the tournament. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he played in four of Argentina's five matches. He scored the only goal in a group stage win against Nigeria.
Coaching Career
Early Coaching Years
Gabriel Heinze started his coaching career in June 2015, even though he didn't have the right license yet. He became the manager of Godoy Cruz in Argentina's top league. He won his first game 3–0. However, he was let go on September 27, after only two wins, two draws, and six losses.
Heinze then signed with Argentinos Juniors in June 2016. In July of the next year, after helping the team get promoted to the top league, he resigned.
On December 11, 2017, Heinze became the coach of Vélez Sarsfield. He led the team to qualify for the Copa Sudamericana (a South American football tournament) two times in a row. He decided not to continue after the 2019–20 season.
Atlanta United
On December 18, 2020, Heinze was named the manager of Major League Soccer club Atlanta United in the United States. He signed a two-year contract. In his first game on April 6, his team won 1–0 against Alajuelense in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Heinze had some issues with the team's star player, Josef Martínez. On July 18, 2021, after winning only two out of 13 games, he was fired from his job.
Newell's Old Boys (Coach)
On October 25, 2022, Heinze was hired by Newell's Old Boys, his former club. He had turned down an offer from them the previous December. His team was knocked out of the Copa Argentina (Argentine Cup) early on February 22. He left the club after one year. During that year, the team finished in the middle of the league table and was eliminated from the Copa Sudamericana.
Honours
Player
Paris Saint-Germain
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001
Manchester United
- Premier League: 2006–07
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2007–08
- Supercopa de España: 2008
Marseille
- Ligue 1: 2009–10
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2009–10, 2010–11
Newell's Old Boys
- Argentine Primera División: 2013 Final
Argentina Olympic Team
- Summer Olympic Games: 2004 (Gold Medal)
Argentina National Team
- Copa América runner-up: 2004, 2007
- FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2005
Individual Awards
- Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 2004–05
Manager
Argentinos Juniors
- Primera B Nacional: 2016–17
Images for kids
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Heinze playing with Real Madrid against Valencia in 2009
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Heinze in action for Marseille (2010)
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Tile in Rosario commemorating Heinze's gold medal win with Argentina at the 2004 Olympic football tournament.
See also
In Spanish: Gabriel Heinze para niños
