Gabriel Milito facts for kids

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Gabriel Milito

Milito coaching Estudiantes in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Gabriel Alejandro Milito
Date of birth	(1980-09-07) 7 September 1980 (age 43)
Place of birth	Bernal, Argentina
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Centre-back
Youth career
	Independiente
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997–2003	Independiente	123	(3)
2003–2007	Zaragoza	137	(5)
2007–2011	Barcelona	48	(1)
2011–2012	Independiente	31	(0)
Total		339	(9)
National team
1997	Argentina U17	4	(0)
1999	Argentina U20	2	(0)
2000–2011	Argentina	42	(1)
Teams managed
2013–2014	Independiente (reserves)
2015	Estudiantes
2016	Independiente
2017–2018	O'Higgins
2019–2020	Estudiantes
2021–2023	Argentinos Juniors
Honours Representing  Argentina Men's Football Copa América Runner-up 2007 Venezuela Team FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up 2005 Germany Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Gabriel Alejandro Milito (born 7 September 1980) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a centre-back and is currently a manager.

He began and finished his professional career at Independiente. He spent seven years in Spain, representing Zaragoza and Barcelona and amassing La Liga totals of 187 matches and six goals.

Milito appeared with the Argentina national team in three major tournaments, including the 2006 World Cup, winning 42 caps. He later managed three teams in the Argentine Primera División, including Independiente.

Playing career

Club

Early years

Born in Bernal, Buenos Aires Province, Milito started playing professionally with Primera División side Club Atlético Independiente in 1997. During that time he often faced his older brother Diego, who played for Independiente's arch-rivals Racing Club de Avellaneda.

Zaragoza

In July 2003, Milito was due to be transferred to Real Madrid, but the Spaniards rejected the player after medical results showed, according to them, a not-fully-recovered knee injury; Jorge Valdano, who acted as director of football, further added that the player had always been appreciated for his technical skills, but his physical state was a cause for great concern. He decided to stay in the country, and joined Real Zaragoza.

In his four seasons with the Aragonese, Milito was an automatic first choice and won the Copa del Rey in his first season against former suitors Real Madrid; he never played fewer than 33 La Liga matches, and rejoined sibling Diego in 2005. In July that year, he was pursued by European champions Liverpool and their Spanish manager Rafael Benítez, whose £7.5 million approach was rejected; he then signed a new contract until 2010, with a buyout clause of €30 million.

Italian newspaper Tuttosport published an interview in June 2007 in which Milito – who holds the country's passport through descent – said that he wanted to leave for Juventus FC. The player denied the meeting had taken place.

Barcelona

Milito (center) waves to fans during Barcelona's 2010–11 victory parade

On 10 July 2007, an agreement was reached with FC Barcelona for €18.5million (£13.9 million) and, the following week, Milito passed his medical and signed a four-year deal with the club worth €4 million (£2.7 million) a year; he was given the number 3 shirt, which was formerly worn by Thiago Motta.

Milito made his competitive debut for Barcelona on 2 September 2007, in a 3–1 home win against Athletic Bilbao. He scored his first goal for the Catalans on 24 November, in a 3–0 victory over Recreativo de Huelva also at the Camp Nou.

On 5 May 2008, it was announced that Milito had damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. This rendered him ineligible for the entire 2008–09 campaign, which ended in a treble.

After being sidelined for almost two years (602 days), Milito finally returned to action when he played in a friendly with Kazma SC in Kuwait. On 5 January 2010, he made his return to competitive football in the first leg of the Copa del Rey's round of 16, a 1–2 home loss against Sevilla FC. He reappeared in the domestic league five days later, coming on as a substitute for Carles Puyol for the final seven minutes of the 5–0 away win over CD Tenerife.

Milito contributed one goal to a 5–1 home win against AD Ceuta in the domestic cup on 11 November 2010 (7–1 on aggregate), but had to leave the game injured. On 30 April 2011, starting in a league match at Real Sociedad, he had a goal wrongfully ruled out for offside with the score at 1–1, as the hosts went on to win it 2–1; as a result of his action he also tore a calf muscle, being sidelined for the rest of the season and making ten appearances for the eventual champions.

Return to Independiente

In early August 2011, the 30-year-old Milito was released from the last year of his contract with Barcelona, and signed shortly after with former club Independiente. On 12 June 2012, he announced his retirement due to being mentally and physically exhausted.

International

Milito playing for the Argentina national team in 2011

Milito participated in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup with Argentina, helping the nation to the final. He was also part of the squad which took part in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, performing well in his only appearance, the group stage match against the Netherlands which ended in a 0–0 draw.

Milito was selected to the 2007 Copa América squad. He contributed five appearances, as the Albiceleste finished in second position in Venezuela.

On 20 August 2010, national team coach Sergio Batista recalled Milito for a friendly with Spain the following month, the player's first international appearance in more than three years. He started in the 4–1 win in Buenos Aires, and he was subsequently selected for the 2011 Copa América, appearing in all the games for the eventual quarter-finalists.

Coaching career

Milito's first coaching experience was with the reserves team of Independiente. He resigned late into 2014, due to differences with the club's president Hugo Moyano.

On 15 April 2015, Milito replaced Mauricio Pellegrino at the helm of Estudiantes de La Plata, after being convinced by president Juan Sebastián Verón. Despite good results, he resigned at the end of the year.

On 12 May 2016, Milito was re-appointed as Independiente manager, again in the place of Pellegrino. He signed an 18-month contract.

Milito started his first coaching adventure outside Argentina on 9 August 2017, signing for two years with O'Higgins F.C. from the Chilean Primera División. He returned to Estudiantes on a three-year deal on 11 March 2019 but, one year later, after being ousted in the round of 64 of the Copa Argentina by lowly Deportivo Laferrere, he again resigned.

In January 2021, Milito signed a three-year contract at Argentinos Juniors, replacing Diego Dabove who had moved to San Lorenzo de Almagro. At the end of the 2022 season, having qualified for the Copa Libertadores, he extended his contract to 2027 but with a clause to cancel it. He unexpectedly used the option on 30 August 2023, after a 1–0 home loss to San Martín de San Juan in the last 16 of the domestic cup.

Personal life

Milito's older brother, Diego, was also a footballer. A striker, he played with individual and team success for Inter Milan, and they both represented Real Zaragoza and the national team.

Career statistics

Club

International

(Argentina score listed first, score column indicates score after each Milito goal)

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	16 October 2007	José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela	Venezuela	1–0	2–0	2010 World Cup qualification

Honours

Independiente

• Argentine Primera División: Apertura 2002

Zaragoza

• Copa del Rey: 2003–04
• Supercopa de España: 2004

Barcelona

• La Liga: 2009–10, 2010–11
• Supercopa de España: 2010
• UEFA Champions League: 2010–11
• Copa del Rey runner-up: 2010–11

Argentina

• Copa América runner-up: 2007
• FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up: 2005

Individual

• Argentine Footballer of the Year: 2002
• South American Team of the Year: 2002

Managerial statistics

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Estudiantes		15 April 2015	5 December 2015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031	&&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.&&&&&042	&&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023	+19	&&&&&&&&&&&&&051.61000051.61
Independiente		12 May 2016	31 December 2016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	+3	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.11000042.11
O'Higgins		14 August 2017	30 June 2018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&026.&&&&&026	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035	&&&&&&&&&&&&&037.&&&&&037	−2	&&&&&&&&&&&&&038.46000038.46
Estudiantes		11 March 2019	4 March 2020	&&&&&&&&&&&&&034.&&&&&034	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&036.&&&&&036	&&&&&&&&&&&&&028.&&&&&028	+8	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.29000035.29
Argentinos Juniors		19 January 2021	30 August 2023	&&&&&&&&&&&&0135.&&&&&0135	&&&&&&&&&&&&&057.&&&&&057	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035	&&&&&&&&&&&&&043.&&&&&043	&&&&&&&&&&&&0162.&&&&&0162	&&&&&&&&&&&&0127.&&&&&0127	+35	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.22000042.22
Total				&&&&&&&&&&&&0245.&&&&&0245	&&&&&&&&&&&&0103.&&&&&0103	&&&&&&&&&&&&&067.&&&&&067	&&&&&&&&&&&&&075.&&&&&075	&&&&&&&&&&&&0289.&&&&&0289	&&&&&&&&&&&&0226.&&&&&0226	+63	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.&4000042.04

See also

In Spanish: Gabriel Milito para niños