Diego Milito

Personal information
Full name	Diego Alberto Milito
Date of birth	(1979-06-12) 12 June 1979 (age 33)
Place of birth	Bernal, Argentina
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	F.C. Internazionale Milano
Number	22
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1999–2003	Racing	137	(34)
2003–2005	Genoa	59	(33)
2005–2008	Zaragoza	108	(53)
2008–2009	Genoa	31	(24)
2009–	Internazionale	91	(51)
National team‡
2003–	Argentina	24	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 May 2011

Diego Alberto Milito (born 12 June 1979) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Internazionale and the Argentine national team.^[1] A prolific and consistent center-forward, Milito has statistically averaged just over a goal every two appearances, over the course of his 10-year professional career. He was pivotal in Inter's 2009–10 treble-winning season and his two goals in the Champions League final confirmed his status as one of the world's most clinical finishers.

He has been nicknamed El Príncipe ("The Prince" in Spanish) because of his physical resemblance with former Uruguayan footballer Enzo Francescoli, who was nicknamed that way.

Club career[link]

Racing Club[link]

1999–2003: Early years in Argentina[link]

Diego Milito started playing at Argentine first division team Racing Club in 1999, where he won the 2001 Apertura tournament. During this time, his younger brother Gabriel played for Racing's main rival, Independiente, as a defender. The two clubs would contest the Avellaneda derby with the two brothers lining up against each other.^[2]

Genoa[link]

2004–2005: First years in European football[link]

At the beginning of 2004, Milito moved to Italian second division club Genoa. After two very successful seasons, where he scored 33 goals in 59 matches in Italy, Genoa were relegated down to Serie C1 as a punishment for an alleged match-fixing case in the final match of the 2004–05 season. Due to this, Milito was forced to leave Genoa and ultimately joined his brother Gabriel at Real Zaragoza in the Spanish La Liga.^[3]

Real Zaragoza[link]

2005–2008: Making his mark in Spain[link]

Milito again showed his potential in Spain, scoring four goals in the first semi-final of the 2006 Copa del Rey to beat Real Madrid 6–1. He finished the season as Zaragoza's top scorer with 16 goals in the first division.

Milito was one of the top scorers in the 2006–07 La Liga season.^[4] He scored 23 goals, two less than league top goalscorer Ruud van Nistelrooy and three behind European Golden Boot winner Francesco Totti.

In November 2006, it was reported Zaragoza decided to buy him outright after his two-year loan was set to expire.^[5][6]

Milito became the club captain at Zaragoza, taking over this role from brother Gabriel, who departed for FC Barcelona in 2007.^[7] His contract was extended in August 2007 with a buy-out clause of €100 million.^[8] His goals helped Zaragoza to a sixth place finish in the league. As of January 2008, Milito averaged higher than a goal every two games for Zaragoza, a statistic he also achieved with Genoa.

Genoa[link]

2008–2009: A return to Italy[link]

On 1 September 2008, just a few minutes before the transfer window closure time, Genoa completed the transfer of Milito from Zaragoza, after the Spanish team were relegated to the Segunda División.^[9][10] His agent Fernando Hidalgo confirmed Milito chose explicitly to return to Genoa despite having received more lucrative offers from other major European clubs.^[11] He made his debut on 14 September against Milan. Genoa won this game 2–0 with Milito assisting the first goal and scoring the second. On 9 November, Milito scored his first hat-trick for Genoa in the 4–0 victory against Reggina. He finished the season with 24 goals in 31 league appearances, placing him second behind Zlatan Ibrahimović in the Capocannonieri scoring title.

Internazionale[link]

2009–10: A treble-winning debut season[link]

Diego Milito during a match in 2009

Diego Milito in 2009

On 20 May 2009, La Gazzetta dello Sport confirmed that Diego Milito was transferred to Internazionale alongside teammate Thiago Motta.^[12] The transfer fees were undisclosed but Genoa received Robert Acquafresca, Riccardo Meggiorini, Leonardo Bonucci, Francesco Bolzoni^[13] Ivan Fatić^[14] and cash in exchange.

The striker adapted to his new surroundings quickly and had an excellent start to his Inter career, scoring two goals in a 2–0 World Football Challenge win over city rivals Milan.^[15] Subsequently, on 29 August, in his first ever Derby della Madonnina against Milan in Serie A, Milito assisted two goals and scored a penalty, his first league goal of the season, to cap off a 4–0 victory.^[16] Later, on 13 September, he scored his second league goal in a 2–0 home win against Parma.^[17] In the next league match against Cagliari, he scored both goals for Inter in a 2–1 away win.^[18] These two goals placed him at the top of the all-time Serie A scoring charts for best strike rate, with 28 goals in 35 games, giving him an average of 0.8 goals per game.^[19] Milito continued his fine run of form with another goal in the next league match against Napoli, scoring the second goal after Samuel Eto'o scored in the first minute, a game that they won 3–1.^[20]

The consistency which Milito had shown at his previous clubs was sustained throughout his debut season at Inter, and after the first few matches, he had established himself as a key contributor to the squad. On 30 October, in a 5–3 home victory against Palermo, Milito, who had returned from an injury, came off the bench to make the result safe, scoring Inter's fifth goal.^[21] In the next game, against Livorno, he scored another goal,^[22] taking his strike rate up to seven goals in nine league matches. Three days later, on 4 November, he scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League in a 2–1 group stage win over Dynamo Kyiv; it was the equaliser which led to Wesley Sneijder's game-winner in the 89th minute.^[23] On 24 February, in another Champions League match, this time in a 2–1 round of 16 win against Chelsea, he scored another important goal, his second in the competition.^[24] Four days later, Milito netted the matchwinner which gave Internazionale a 3–2 victory at Udinese, in a thrilling win for the Nerazzurri.^[25] On 27 March, after missing a 3–0 win over Livorno^[26] with a hamstring problem, Milito returned for a crucial battle at title contenders Roma, where he scored one goal in a 2–1 loss.^[27][28] On 31 March, in a 1–0 Champions League quarter-finals win against CSKA Moscow, he scored the winning goal which enhanced Internazionale's chances of reaching the semi-finals.^[29] Diego scored a vital goal in a 3–1 home win against Barcelona in a first leg Champions League semi-final win.

During the very last matches of the 2009–2010 season, Milito proved instrumental in Inter's winning of the first treble in the history of Italian football. The Argentine first scored the only goal in Inter's victory over Roma in the final of the Coppa Italia on 5 May 2010, enabling the nerazzurri to take home their first trophy of the season.^[30] Eleven days later, it was also Milito's goal which secured Internazionale's 18th scudetto when they beat Siena 1–0 on the final matchday of Serie A. With only two points separating the top two teams in Serie A, the goal lifted Inter to the summit of the table after being in a position to lose the league title to Roma at the half-time break as Roma, playing simultaneously, were winning their own match against Chievo at that point. Milito himself declared this goal to be the "best of his career",^[31] having been decisive in delivering a league title to his team. However, there was more to come from the forward and on 22 May 2010 Milito yet again proved vital as he scored twice to seal a victory in the Champions League Final over Bayern Munich. As a result Internazionale became European club champions for the first time in 45 years with a 2–0 victory and completed their historic treble championship season.^[32]

After the treble success many pundits took note of the fact that Milito had always been an effective and efficient striker, yet remained one of the most underrated players in world football because of his low-key manner and the fact that he had plied his trade for smaller, less competitive teams prior to joining Inter.^[33] Scoring goals on the biggest stages for a marquee team finally earned the striker the recognition merited by his skill and goalscoring record. Of the player and his two Champions League winning goals, The Guardian wrote:

On 9 August 2010, Milito signed a new four-year contract with the Nerazzurri.^[35] On 26 August 2010, Milito was named 2010 UEFA Forward and Player of the Year.^[36]

2010–present: After the treble[link]

At his second season, Milito has been unable to recreate the success he had during his first season at Inter. This has largely been due to a recurring muscle injury which has seen him feature only sporadically in the first eleven from August to April.^[37][38] Il Principe's form was thus affected and this was probably not helped by the departure of manager José Mourinho at the start of the season, nor the instability caused by the arrival and then subsequent departure of Rafa Benitez (August–December 2010).^[39] On 29 May 2011 Milito scored a goal in the final of the Italian Cup to help Internazionale beat Palermo 3–1. However during the 2011–2012 Serie A season he begun to regain his form, scoring a goal in Inter-Lecce 4-1, two goals in Inter-Parma 5-0, and a very important goal in Inter's 1-0 victory against Milan putting Inter back into the title race. He also continued on his scoring streak in Inter's 2-1 victory over Lazio. His good form continued as he scored an amazing 4 goals in a 4-4 draw with Palermo at home, a game in which Palermo player Fabrizio Miccoli also scored a hat-trick.^[40]. On the 1st of April he scored a hatrick against his former club Genoa. On the 6th of May, Milito scored his second hat-trick of the season against no other than Inter's eternal rivals, AC Milan. His goals lead to Inter's 4-2 victory and handed the scuddeto title to Juventus. By scoring his 23 goal of the season he surpassed his original record of 22 goals in the 2009-10 season. ^[41]

International career[link]

Milito scored two goals on his international debut against Uruguay in 2003, but appeared only intermittently during the following years,^[42] and was omitted from the 2006 World Cup squad.^[43] He played for Argentina in the 2007 Copa América tournament, gaining playing time after Hernán Crespo's injury in a group stage match against Colombia and he was also included in Argentina's final 23 player roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.^[44]

Personal life[link]

Diego is married to Sofia and they have two children.^[45] He also holds an Italian passport, due to his Italian ancestry - Milito is a third-generation Italian-Argentine, his roots go to Terranova da Sibari (CS), in Calabria.^[46][47] He has a younger brother named Gabriel who plays football for Independiente.

Career statistics[link]

Diego Milito during a training in 2009

Club[link]

As of 13 May 2012

National team[link]

^[48]

International goals[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	31 January 2003	Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Honduras	1 – 0	3–1	Friendly
2.	16 July 2003	Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina	Uruguay	1 – 0	2–2	Friendly
3.	16 July 2003	Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina	Uruguay	2 – 0	2–2	Friendly
4.	2 July 2007	Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela	Colombia	4 – 2	4–2	2007 Copa América

Statistics correct as of matches played 22 May 2010^[49][50]

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Racing Club

• Argentine Primera División (1): Apertura 2001

Internazionale

• Serie A (1): 2009–10
• Coppa Italia (2): 2009– 10, 2010–11
• Supercoppa Italiana (1): 2010
• UEFA Champions League (1): 2010
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2010

Individual[link]

• Guerin d'Oro (1): 2008–09
• 2010 UEFA Champions League Final: UEFA Man of the Match
• UEFA Club Forward of the Year (1): 2009–10
• UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1): 2009–10
• Serie A Footballer of the Year (1): 2009–10
• Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year (1): 2009–10

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Diego Milito

• Diego Milito – FIFA competition record
• Guardian statistics
• Career details at National football teams
• F.C. Internazionale Profile
• ESPN Soccernet Profile
• UEFA Profile
• 2010 FIFA World Cup Profile
• El Príncipe • IT

Argentina squads v t e Argentina squad – 2007 Copa América Runners-up 1 Abbondanzieri 2 Ayala (c) 3 Díaz 4 Ibarra 5 Gago 6 Heinze 7 Palacio 8 Zanetti 9 Crespo 10 Riquelme 11 Tévez 12 Carrizo 13 González 14 Mascherano 15 G. Milito 16 Aimar 17 Burdisso 18 Messi 19 Cambiasso 20 Verón 21 D. Milito 22 Orión Coach: Basile v t e Argentina squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Pozo 2 Demichelis 3 C. Rodríguez 4 Burdisso 5 Bolatti 6 Heinze 7 Di María 8 Verón 9 Higuaín 10 Messi 11 Tévez 12 Garcé 13 Samuel 14 Mascherano (c) 15 Otamendi 16 Agüero 17 Gutiérrez 18 Palermo 19 Milito 20 M. Rodríguez 21 Andújar 22 Romero 23 Pastore Coach: Maradona v t e Argentina squad – 2011 Copa América 1 Carrizo 2 Garay 3 Zabaleta 4 Burdisso 5 Cambiasso 6 G. Milito 7 di María 8 Zanetti 9 Higuaín 10 Messi 11 Tévez 12 Andújar 13 Pareja 14 Mascherano (c) 15 Biglia 16 Agüero 17 Rojo 18 Pastore 19 Banega 20 Gago 21 Lavezzi 22 D. Milito 23 Romero Coach: Batista