Gabriel Milito

Gabriel Alejandro Milito (born 7 September 1980) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a central defender, currently the manager of Argentinos Juniors.

Gabriel Milito
Milito coaching Estudiantes in 2015
Personal information
Full name Gabriel Alejandro Milito[1]
Date of birth (1980-09-07) 7 September 1980[2]
Place of birth Bernal, Argentina
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Argentinos Juniors (manager)
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– Argentinos Juniors
Honours
Representing  Argentina
Men's Football
Copa América
Runner-up2007 VenezuelaTeam
FIFA Confederations Cup
Runner-up2005 GermanyTeam
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He spent most of his professional career in Spain, representing Zaragoza and Barcelona. Over seven seasons, he amassed La Liga totals of 187 matches and six goals.

Milito appeared with the Argentine national team in three major tournaments, including the 2006 World Cup, winning 42 caps.

Playing career

Early years

Born in Bernal, Quilmes, 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.[3]

Zaragoza

In July 2003, Milito was due to be transferred to Real Madrid,[4] but the Spaniards rejected the player after medical results showed, according to them, a not-fully-recovered knee injury;[5] 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.[6][7] He decided to stay in the country, and joined Real Zaragoza.[8]

In his four seasons with the Aragonese, Milito was an automatic first choice (never played fewer than 33 La Liga matches), and rejoined sibling Diego in 2005. On 10 July 2007, an agreement was reached with FC Barcelona for €18.5million (£13.9 million) and, the following week, he passed his medical and signed a four-year deal with the club worth €4 million (£2.7 million) a year;[9] he was given the number 3 shirt, which was formerly worn by Thiago Motta.

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

Milito made his competitive debut for Barcelona on 2 September 2007, in a 3–1 home win against Athletic Bilbao.[10] 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.[11]

On 5 May 2008, it was announced that Milito had damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] 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 home defeat of CD Tenerife.[15]

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.[16][17] 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;[18] as a result of his action he also tore a calf muscle, being sidelined for the rest of the season[19] 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,[20] and signed shortly after with former club Independiente. On 12 June 2012, he announced his retirement due to being mentally and physically exhausted.[21]

International
Milito playing for the Argentine 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.[22]

Milito was selected to the 2007 Copa América squad. He contributed five appearances, as the Albiceleste finished in second position in Venezuela.[23][24][25][26][27]

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.[28] He started in the 4–1 win in Buenos Aires,[29] and he was subsequently selected for the 2011 Copa América,[30] 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.[31]

On 15 April 2015, Milito replaced Mauricio Pellegrino at the helm of Estudiantes de La Plata, after being convinced by president Juan Sebastián Verón.[32] Despite good results, he resigned at the end of the year.[33]

On 12 May 2016, Milito was re-appointed as Independiente manager, again in the place of Pellegrino. He signed an 18-month contract.[34]

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.[35] He returned to Estudiantes on a three-year deal on 11 March 2019[36] but, one year later, after being ousted in the round of 64 of the Copa Argentina by lowly Deportivo Laferrere, he again resigned.[37]

In January 2021, Milito signed a three-year contract at Argentinos Juniors, replacing Diego Dabove who had moved to San Lorenzo de Almagro.[38]

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.[39][40]

Career statistics

Club

[41][42]

Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Independiente 1997–98 Argentine Primera División 20–20
1998–99 Argentine Primera División 250–20270
1999–2000 Argentine Primera División 342–80422
2000–01 Argentine Primera División 251–50301
2001–02 Argentine Primera División 30–30
2002–03 Argentine Primera División 340–340
Total 1233–1501383
Zaragoza 2003–04 La Liga 3500000350
2004–05 La Liga 33300100433
2005–06 La Liga 3410000341
2006–07 La Liga 3514000391
Total 1375401001515
Barcelona 2007–08 La Liga 2716090421
2008–09 La Liga 00000000
2009–10 La Liga 1101050170
2010–11 La Liga 1004120161
Total 481111160752
Independiente 2011–12 Argentine Primera División 1901020220
Career total 308915143036410

International
Argentina
YearAppsGoals
200010
200100
200200
200340
200430
200560
200650
2007141
200800
200900
201020
201170
Total421

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

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
116 October 2007José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela Venezuela1–02–02010 World Cup qualification[43]

Honours

Independiente

Zaragoza

Barcelona

Individual

  • Argentine Footballer of the Year: 2002[44]
  • South American Team of the Year: 2002[45]

Managerial statistics
As of match played 22 October 2022[46]
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Estudiantes 15 April 2015 5 December 2015 31 16 9 6 42 23 +19 051.61
Independiente 12 May 2016 31 December 2016 19 8 6 5 14 11 +3 042.11
O'Higgins 14 August 2017 30 June 2018 26 10 5 11 35 37 −2 038.46
Estudiantes 11 March 2019 4 March 2020 34 12 12 10 36 28 +8 035.29
Argentinos Juniors 19 January 2021 present 95 40 25 30 112 89 +23 042.11
Total 205 86 57 62 239 188 +51 041.95

References
  1. "FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 presented by Toyota: List of players" (PDF). FIFA. 1 December 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  2. "Gabriel MILITO". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. Taveira, Fernando (4 May 2019). ""Milito hay uno solo": la historia de la rivalidad entre Diego y Gabriel, que se reedita en el cruce entre Racing y Estudiantes" ["There's only one Milito": the story of the rivalry between Diego and Gabriel, reborn as Racing and Estudiantes clash] (in Spanish). Infobae. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  4. "Milito makes for Madrid". UEFA. 8 July 2003. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  5. "Madrid cancel Milito signing". UEFA. 22 July 2003. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  6. Brown, Lucas (26 August 2009). "Jorge Valdano: I was right not to sign Gabriel Milito for Real Madrid". Goal. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  7. Martín, Luis (12 April 2010). "Milito, contra Valdano" [Milito, against Valdano]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  8. "Milito taken on by Zaragoza". UEFA. 24 July 2003. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  9. Turner, Lucy (19 July 2007). "Milito honoured to sign for Barça". UEFA. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  10. "Barcelona 3–1 Athletic Bilbao". ESPN Soccernet. 2 September 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
  11. "Barcelona 3–0 Recreativo Huelva". ESPN Soccernet. 24 November 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
  12. "Barcelona's Milito faces lengthy lay-off". UEFA. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  13. Malek, Cyrus C. (22 December 2009). "Barcelona's Gabriel Milito returns to action...602 days later". Goal. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  14. Aldunate, Ramiro (6 January 2010). "Carbón para Burrull, premio para el Sevilla" [Thumbs down for Burrull, up for Sevilla]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  15. "El Barça responde con una "manita"" [Barça answer with a "fiver"]. ABC (in Spanish). 10 January 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  16. Aldunate, Ramiro (11 November 2010). "Hay Barça para rato" [We have Barça for a long time]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  17. "Barcelona 5–1 Ceuta". ESPN Soccernet. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  18. "Sociedad surprise Barca with defeat". ESPN Soccernet. 30 April 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  19. "Milito, Montoya out for six weeks". FIFA. 1 May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  20. "Milito allowed to leave". FC Barcelona. 4 August 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  21. "Gaby Milito anunció su retiro del fútbol: "Estoy agotado física y mentalmente"" [Gaby Milito announced retirement from football: "I'm worn out physically and mentally"] (in Spanish). Infobae. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  22. "Holland 0–0 Argentina". BBC Sport. June 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  23. Muñoz, Daniel (29 June 2007). "Argentina gana sin despeinarse" [Argentina win leaving tracksuit on]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  24. Ballestero, Ignacio (3 July 2007). "Riquelme conduce a Argentina a cuartos" [Riquelme leads Argentina to last-eight]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  25. Magdalena, Miguel (9 July 2007). "Genialidades hacia semifinales" [Geniuses at work towards the semi-finals]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  26. Magdalena, Miguel (12 July 2007). "Reafirmación hacia el título" [Staking another claim towards title]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  27. Magdalena, Miguel (15 July 2007). "La apuesta ganadora" [The winning bet]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  28. "Gago e Higuaín entran en la lista contra España" [Gago and Higuaín make list for Spain clash]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 20 August 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  29. Herguedas, Miguel Ángel (7 September 2010). "Argentina se ceba con la campeona" [Argentina do what they want with champions]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  30. "Messi y Agüero lideran la lista para la Copa América" [Messi and Agüero lead list for Copa América]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 26 June 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  31. Schiavo, Francisco (30 August 2015). "El Torneo de Primera División. Con los bancos al revés: el día en que Milito y Pellegrino dirigirán los clubes cruzados" [Primera División Tournament. Benches upside down: the day Milito and Pellegrino will lead opposite clubs]. La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  32. "La hora de Milito" [Milito's time]. Olé (in Spanish). 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  33. "Milito pegó el portazo y se va del Pincha" [Milito slammed the door and leaves the Pincha]. Clarín (in Spanish). 5 December 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  34. "Gaby Milito entrenará a Independiente" [Gaby Milito will coach Independiente]. Marca (in Spanish). 12 May 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  35. "Gabriel Milito regresa a los banquillos: entrenará a O'Higgins" [Gabriel Milito returns to the benches: he will coach O'Higgins]. Marca (in Spanish). 10 August 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  36. "Milito, el nuevo entrenador" [Milito, the new manager] (in Spanish). Estudiantes La Plata. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  37. "Gabriel Milito se va de Estudiantes" [Gabriel Milito leaves Estudiantes] (in Spanish). TyC Sports. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  38. "Gabriel Milito es el nuevo entrenador de Argentinos Juniors" [Gabriel Milito is the new manager of Argentinos Juniors]. La Voz del Interior (in Spanish). 19 January 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  39. "El hermano de Milito tampoco será del Madrid" [Milito's brother will also not be a Madrid player] (in Spanish). Merca Fútbol. 25 November 2004. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  40. "Diego Milito: "Le agradezco a Pep todo lo que ha hecho por mi hermano"" [Diego Milito: "I thank Pep for everything he has done for my brother"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 18 November 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  41. "G. Milito". Soccerway. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  42. "Gabriel Milito". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  43. "Argentina derrota a Venezuela 2–0 con goles de Gabi Milito y Messi" [Argentina defeat Venezuela 2–0 with goals from Gabi Milito and Messi] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  44. Pierrend, José Luis; Gorgazzi, Osvaldo José. "Argentina – Player of the Year". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  45. Pierrend, José Luis. "South American Team of the Year". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  46. Gabriel Milito coach profile at Soccerway
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