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.
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 and won the Copa del Rey in his first season against former suitors Real Madrid;[9] 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;[10] he then signed a new contract until 2010, with a buyout clause of €30 million.[11]
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.[12]
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;[13] 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.[14] 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.[15]
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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19]
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.[20][21] 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;[22] as a result of his action he also tore a calf muscle, being sidelined for the rest of the season[23] 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,[24] and signed shortly after with former club Independiente. On 12 June 2012, he announced his retirement due to being mentally and physically exhausted.[25]
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.[32] He started in the 4–1 win in Buenos Aires,[33] and he was subsequently selected for the 2011 Copa América,[34] 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.[35]
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.[45][46]
^Muñoz, Daniel (29 June 2007). "Argentina gana sin despeinarse" [Argentina win leaving tracksuit on]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2016.
^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.
^Magdalena, Miguel (9 July 2007). "Genialidades hacia semifinales" [Geniuses at work towards the semi-finals]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2016.
^Magdalena, Miguel (12 July 2007). "Reafirmación hacia el título" [Staking another claim towards title]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2016.
^Magdalena, Miguel (15 July 2007). "La apuesta ganadora" [The winning bet]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2016.
^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.
