Gabriel Alejandro Milito is the twentieth Argentinean to wear the FC Barcelona shirt and considered to be perfect in his role of centre back. Previously playing for Independiente in Argentina followed by a four year stint at Zaragoza, Milito signed to Barça in August 2007 on a four year contract.
Born in Bernal, Argentina in 1980, Milito is known as 'El Mariscal' and 'Gaby' by his fans. His footballing career was almost cut short by a serious knee injury in 2001 and he originally moved to Spain to play for Real Madrid.
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The official verdict is that club doctors were not convinced that his knee was fully recovered, but there is one report that the move was to sideline the then director of football at Madrid, while another claims that he was not a big enough star to join the galacticos. Failing to make the grade for Madrid, Milito was instead signed by Real Zaragoza where he joined his brother, Diego, for 2 seasons.
Honours have included the Trofeo Apertura (2002-3) at Independiente, while at Zaragoza he was part of the team that won the Spanish Super Cup (2004-5) and the Spanish Cup (2003-4).
He has also made more than 25 appearances for the Argentinean national selection for which he played in the 1999 South American Under 20 Championship, the Confederations Cup (2005) and the World Cup (2006).
Key strengths include his excellent positioning and vision and the ability to take control and lead by example. Although it is early days for Milito at Barcelona he has the talent to make his mark, providing he can remain relatively injury free.
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