Diego Milito · Biography

In the summer of 2009 Inter Milan signed Diego Alberto Milito from Genoa, a move that transformed the career of a striker who had until then scored his goals away from the biggest stages. Born on 12 June 1979 in Bernal, in the southern suburbs of Buenos Aires, Milito was a penalty-box centre-forward who played for Racing Club, Genoa, Real Zaragoza and Inter, won the 2010 Champions League with both goals in the final and, after retiring, was elected president of Racing in December 2024.

Youth and first spell at Racing

Milito came through the youth ranks at Racing Club, the Avellaneda side he remained tied to throughout his life in the game. He made his first-team debut in 1999, at a time of deep institutional and financial trouble for the club. His younger brother Gabriel, a defender, built his career at Independiente, Racing’s neighbourhood rival, giving the derbies of that era a family dimension. In 2001 Racing won the Torneo Apertura, the club’s first league title since 1966, and Milito was part of that squad.

Italy and Spain: Genoa and Zaragoza

After several seasons at Racing, Milito crossed the Atlantic to join Genoa, then in Italy’s Serie B. He quickly became a regular scorer, netting 33 goals in 59 matches in his first spell and helping the team win promotion on the pitch in 2005. Genoa, however, were relegated to Serie C1 as punishment in a match-fixing case, and the striker looked for a way out. In 2005 he joined Real Zaragoza, where his brother Gabriel was already playing.

At La Romareda he established himself. His best-remembered night came in February 2006, in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals, when he scored four goals in a 6-1 win over Real Madrid. In all he played 108 league games for Zaragoza and scored 53 goals. After the club were relegated to the Spanish second division in 2008, he went back to Genoa.

Return to Genoa and the move to Inter

His second spell in Genoa, this time in Serie A, lasted one season. In 2008-09 Milito scored 24 goals in 31 league matches and, together with Thiago Motta, formed a spine that Inter took to Milan in 2009, as José Mourinho rebuilt his side for Europe after Zlatan Ibrahimović’s departure.

The 2010 treble

In the 2009-10 season Milito scored 30 goals in all competitions and was decisive in all three of Inter’s trophies. He scored the winner in the Coppa Italia final against Roma, the goal that clinched the Scudetto on matchday 38 against Siena and, on 22 May 2010 at the Santiago Bernabéu, both goals in the 2-0 Champions League final win over Bayern Munich. Inter thus became the first Italian club to win the treble. He stayed at the club until 2014, in seasons disrupted by injuries, and in Milan he kept the nickname he had carried since Argentina: «El Príncipe», the Prince.

Playing style

Milito was a number nine of short, sharp movements, more technical than physical, who thrived on runs off the shoulder and a clean first touch in the box. He finished with either foot and was notably calm one-on-one, as the second goal in the Madrid final showed, when he wrong-footed Daniel Van Buyten before beating Hans-Jörg Butt. He also linked play, holding the ball up with his back to goal for the midfielders.

Argentina national team

He won 25 caps for Argentina and scored 4 goals between 2003 and 2011. Competition for his position, from forwards such as Hernán Crespo, Carlos Tévez, Sergio Agüero and Gonzalo Higuaín, limited his chances in the sky-blue and white shirt.

Back at Racing and the presidency

In 2014 Milito returned to Racing and that same year won the Torneo de Transición, his second league title with the Avellaneda club. He retired in 2016. He later held roles in Racing’s football department, as technical secretary and as sporting director in 2018-19, and in 2020 announced his exit over disagreements with Víctor Blanco’s board. On 15 December 2024 he won the Racing Club election at the head of the «Racing Sueña» ticket, with around 60 per cent of the vote, succeeding Víctor Blanco as president.