“I know perfection doesn’t exist, but I’m going after it.”. The definition belongs to Gabriel Milito. As a footballer he debuted professionally with a personality inappropriate for a 17-year-old boy and during his career he had to overcome countless injuries that cut his career short. But the ties that made it impossible for him to play on the green grass were the key factor in developing his knowledge of tactics. From his first appearance with the Independent, In 1997, he brought out his talent for leadership and his obsessive love for paying attention to all the details. Added to this was an extensive list of historic coaches who marked his life. Milito, an elegant center back and a technical director who has positional ball play as his main foundation, led Atlético Mineiro to the final of the Copa Libertadores, seeking to achieve his first title as a strategist.
Originally from Bernal, his first steps in football were marked by an eternal dispute with his brother, Diego. One with the heart painted red, the other light blue and white. A forward, a born scorer. The other, a fine central marker with outstanding technique for his position. Despite the challenges on the part of mother and father, there was no family on the court and both fought memorable duels during the Avellaneda classic. One match left an insult referring to their mother, an episode that still persists in Argentine soccer. However, the rough edges were left behind and the two were present at their respective farewells after hanging their boots in the Cylinder and in the Libertadores de América. They even knew how to share a dressing room in the Zaragoza for a season.
In the Old Continent, their paths separated again as in their beginnings: Gabriel went to Barcelona and Diego, to Inter in Italy. In the Catalan team, the then defender met one of the men who began to mark his path as a coach: Pep Guardiola. “Something I learned from him is to defend while attacking. Pep is a fan of attack, but also of defense, which is why his teams are the least beaten. Take risks that almost no one takes. In addition to having very good players, tactically he is the Messi of coaches”he explained in an interview with Clank. And, despite the imprint that the Spaniard had on his tactical knowledge, other strategists also had an influence on his point of view, since he was directed by brilliant coaches who marked his life, such as César Menotti, José Pékerman and Marcelo Bielsa.
He hung up his boots with the club of his loves, at 31 years old. The pain resulting from the injuries – he suffered two torn cruciate ligaments – had a negative impact on Milito’s career. However, the Marshal You can say that he had an enviable career for much of football. Beyond the 10 trophies that sit in his personal display case, some without much presence on the playing field, he always contributed his part from wherever he had to. He even refused to participate in the celebrations with Barcelona during the historic 2009 season. “Gaby Milito is not here with us. He didn’t want to come out here because he’s an idiot, nothing more. But even though he was not here, he was always by our side, supporting us. He had a very complicated year and he was with us at all times. Therefore, this is his too,” exposed Lionel Messi in front of thousands of fans.
Despite everything, Milito can say that he was able to fulfill his goals as a footballer and his promises. “I’m only going to leave when I become champion”he commented in his Independiente days, when all the teams wanted to keep a prodigious central scoreboard. And he complied. With the captain’s ribbon on his arm, at the age of 22, the performance of Marshal It was transcendental to become champion of the 2002 Apertura Tournament with Independientethe last local championship that the Avellaneda institution raised. Furthermore, not satisfied with this, he lowered the curtain on his career with the team’s shirt. Rojoin the place that saw him grow and form.
“I was born in Independiente, the King of Cups. Seven Libertadores Cups, the most winning team in history. All the time with this thing that Independiente is the King of Cups. In recent years Independiente, being the King of Cups, the paradoxes that football has: I could not play in the Copa Libertadores. But the history is there, everything he conquered is undeniable and cannot be erased. It will remain forever. But yes, my training has been at Independiente and of course it has the Copa Libertadores, in any hallway you walk through the club, the cups are there”, he once reflected on the love he has for the Avellaneda team, which led to an obsession with the most important competition on the continent.
“The passes have to serve a purpose. You can have possession, but if you don’t kick on goal, I don’t like it. Having the ball to dominate, yes. But if you don’t know what to do with it, it’s better for your rival to have it.”Milito’s definition explains what he wants for his teams. Paradoxically, his debut on the bench was for the Copa Libertadores under the command of Students of La Platathe same competition that ten years later can give him his greatest joy as a coach. His first experience was outstanding, with colorful football that began to demonstrate the vision of the new coach. However, he could not replicate it in the club of his loves, since his cycle at Independiente only lasted 19 games. However, he was a fundamental piece for the football future of the Rojosince he had stars such as Fabricio Bustos, Maximiliano Meza, Emiliano Rigoni, among others, as pupils.
After a stint abroad Chile’s O’Higgins and a return to Estudiantes, Milito reconnected with an ideal club to exploit his obsession with tactics and carry out his idea of the game. “I don’t force anyone to do something they don’t want to do, what I seek is to convince them. I believe a lot in what I feel. I know it’s not the only way, but you have to work and find what you like the most.”defined his way of working, in which he emphasizes establishing a great relationship with those he directs. and in Argentinos Juniors everyone believed in his ideology.
Gabi raised the level of play Animal and took them to the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores. He leaves nothing to chance. Although his favorite drawing in recent years is with a line of three in the background, which stands out for having a footballer with the characteristics of a central midfielder with good footing, who constantly breaks the defense to be the pillar in the gestation of the plays, he exhaustively analyzes all the facets of the rival team to define the assembly of his eleven. With a coaching staff made up of different specialists, another facet that stands out is the implementation of technology in training and in monitoring the assembly of its squads.
After his time at La Paternal, the door opened for him to move to Brazil to coach Atlético Mineiro. Gabi took command of Enter at the start of 2024, with the aim of once again positioning it at the top of America and establishing itself as one of the contenders to win the Brasileirao. Although the latter did not achieve it, since it is tenth in Copa Sudamericana positions, in the other it is just one step away from meeting the demand. And this was not easy at all, since to reach the final of the Copa Libertadores he had to overcome rivals of the caliber of San Lorenzo, Fluminense and River Plate along the way.
“For me it was a dream as a player to be able to play in the Cup, something that never happened to me, but now that I am a coach, Independiente always comes to mind because it is my club. And Independiente’s relationship with the Copa Libertadores is very strong and I grew up in that club. So somehow I would love to be able to win it. For Atlético Mineiro, of course, and apart to feel that flavor that must be so special to be able to lift that glass”, he alleges. Now, with more than 300 matches coached under his belt and ten years in his role as a coach, Milito only has Botafogo as the only stone on his way to becoming champion for the first time. Precisely, in the competition that saw him born as a strategist and that has the club of his loves as the maximum winner.
