Gabriel Milito

Early years

Born in Bernal, Buenos Aires Province, Milito started playing professionally with Primera División side 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. The player denied the meeting had taken place.

Barcelona

On 10 July 2007, an agreement was reached with Barcelona…

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.

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, 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 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. 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 in the last 16 of the domestic cup. On 24 March 2024, Milito was announced as head coach of Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro, agreeing to a deal running until December 2025. He took charge ahead of the 2024 Campeonato Mineiro finals and led the team to the title with an aggregate 5–3 win over…

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