Fernando Rubén Gago (; born 10 April 1986) is an Argentine football

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

and former player. He is the current head coach of

Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...

club

Necaxa Impulsora del Deportivo Necaxa S.A. de C.V. (); often simply known as Club Necaxa, is a Mexican professional Association football, football club based in Aguascalientes (city), Aguascalientes. It competes in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican ...

. During his 16-year club career, limited by multiple serious injuries, Gago played as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

and

deep-lying playmaker In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

and

Vélez Sarsfield Velez may refer to: People * Vélez (name), a Spanish surname, including a list of people with the name Places * Vélez de Benaudalla, Spain * Vélez Sársfield (barrio), Buenos Aires, Argentina * Vélez-Blanco, Spain * Vélez-Málaga, Spain * Vé ...

. A full international from 2007 to 2017, Gago represented

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

at the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

and at the

Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, as well as winning a gold medal at the

2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...

. As a manager, he led Aldosivi and Racing Club in the

Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; ), known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Argentina and the highest level of the Argentine football league system. Organ ...

, winning two

super cup A super cup is a competition, in association football, basketball, handball, volleyball and rugby union which often forms the 'curtain raiser' to a season, and typically involves only two teams who have qualified through success in other competi ...

honours.

Club career

Boca Juniors

Born in Ciudadela,

Greater Buenos Aires Greater Buenos Aires (, GBA), also known as the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (, AMBA), refers to the urban agglomeration comprising the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of B ...

, Gago came from the youth divisions of

. He had his professional debut with Boca in the 1–0 victory over

Quilmes Quilmes () is a city on the coast of the Rio de la Plata, in the , on the southeast end of the Greater Buenos Aires, being some away from the urban centre area of Buenos Aires. The city was founded in 1666 and is the seat of the eponymous '' ...

on 5 December 2004, in the Torneo Apertura. On 1 October 2006, he scored the first professional goal of his career and the only one of his initial Boca spell in a 3–2 win over

La Bombonera La Bombonera (; , named after its resemblance to a chocolate box, per Viktor Sulčič), officially known as Alberto José Armando Stadium (, ; named after Alberto Armando), is an association football stadium located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...

Real Madrid

On 21 December 2006,

confirmed the signing of Gago on a 6-year contract for a fee of €20 million, effective from the turn of the calendar year. His signing came shortly after that of fellow Argentine youngster

Gonzalo Higuaín Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín (; born 10 December 1987) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ''El Pipita'' or ''Pipa,'' he is considered to be one of the best strikers of his generation and was a prolific striker kn ...

from River Plate, and teenage Brazilian full-back

Marcelo Marcelo is a given name, the Spanish and Portuguese form of Marcellus (name), Marcellus. Marcelo may refer to: Given name *Marcelo Costa de Andrade (born 1967), Brazilian serial killer, rapist, and necrophile *Marcelo Arriagada (born 1973), Chile ...

. He made his debut on 7 January 2007 in a 2–0 loss at

Deportivo de La Coruña Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña () or simply Depor, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia, that competes in the Segunda División, the ...

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

, partnering Emerson in defensive midfield at the expense of

Mahamadou Diarra Mahamadou Diarra (born 18 May 1981) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He served as captain for the Mali national team. Club career OFI Crete Diarra started his professional career at Greek club ...

and being substituted for forward Ronaldo after 58 minutes; local sports daily ''

Diario AS ''Diario AS'' () (sometime stylized as ''AS'' or ''As''; ) is a Spanish daily sports newspaper that concentrates particularly on association football. Profile ''Diario AS'' is part of PRISA which also owns ''El País'' and ''Cinco Días''. The ...

'' commented that he barely influenced the game. On 20 May, away to

Recreativo de Huelva Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Huelva, Andalucia, Spain. Founded on 23 December 1889, they are the oldest football club in Spain, and currently play in , holding home ...

in the 35th match, he gave away a penalty but in added time assisted

Roberto Carlos Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), often known as Roberto Carlos and sometimes ''RC3'', is a Brazilian former professional association football, footballer. He has been described as the "most offensive-minded left-back in the ...

for the 3–2 winner as Real Madrid maintained their league challenge, eventually winning the league. In August 2008, Gago injured his left knee ligaments in a friendly against

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (), more commonly referred to as Peñarol, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club currently competes in the Uruguayan Primera División, the highest tier in Uruguayan football. The nam ...

, and missed the start of the new season. He returned on 17 September for a

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

game against

FC BATE Borisov FC BATE Borisov (, ''FK BATE Borisov'' ; , ''BATE Barysaw,'' ), commonly referred to as BATE or BATE Borisov, is a Belarusian professional football team from the city of Barysaw. The club competes in the Belarusian Premier League, of which th ...

, leaving the game after 36 minutes due to his left femural biceps and being sidelined for another month. On 7 December, he scored his only goal of his 121 Real Madrid games, equalising in a 4–3 loss to

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

at the

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (, ) is a retractable roof association football, football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a seating capacity of around 83,000 following its extensive renovation completed in late 2024, the stadium has the second-largest ...

; on 31 January 2009 he was given his only

red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or di ...

for the club in a 2–0 win away to Numancia. Before the 2009–10 season, Gago ceded his number 8 shirt to new signing

Kaká Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime at A.C. Milan, AC Mil ...

to take the number 5 vacated by

Fabio Cannavaro Fabio Cannavaro (; born 13 September 1973) is an Italian professional association football, football coach and former player who last was the head coach of Croatian club GNK Dinamo Zagreb, Dinamo Zagreb. He is regarded as one of the greatest De ...

's return to

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

; he had coveted the number as it had been worn by

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; ; ''Zineddin Lyazid Zidan''; ; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as an attacking midfi ...

before. Gago did not play any games for three months for Real Madrid around the turn of 2009 to 2010. Under new Madrid manager

José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerba ...

from 2010, Gago struggled to receive playing time due to both a lengthy injury spell and Mourinho's preference for the tandem of

Xabi Alonso Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of La Liga club Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid. He is regarded as o ...

and

Sami Khedira Sami Khedira (; ; born 4 April 1987) is a German former professional Association football, footballer who played as a central midfielder. He began his career at VfB Stuttgart, winning the Bundesliga in 2007, before moving to Real Madrid CF, Re ...

in defensive midfield.

Loan to Roma

On 31 August 2011, Gago moved on loan to Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

side

, with a view to a permanent move, until the end of the 2011–12 season. His number 5 jersey was conferred to the recently signed

Nuri Şahin Nuri Şahin (born 5 September 1988) is a German and Turkish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He was most recently head coach of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. He began his playing career at Dortmun ...

, formerly of

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

. Upon arriving in the Italian capital, he refuted suggestions that he was too similar to his new teammate

Daniele De Rossi Daniele De Rossi (; born 24 July 1983) is an Italian football manager and former professional player. As a football player, he is known for his long career with hometown club Roma, as well as winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy. De Ros ...

, by saying that the pair had differences that would work well together. Gago made his debut on 11 September in a 2–1 home loss to

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

, as a substitute for

Aleandro Rosi Aleandro Rosi (born 17 May 1987) is an Italian professional footballer who plays for club Torres. Known for his versatility, he plays as a full-back, a winger along the right flank, offensively and defensively, and for his pace. Club career ...

for the last 15 minutes. He scored his only goal for Roma against

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

on 20 November, a long-range strike in a 2–1 victory; two weeks later he was sent off in a 3–0 defeat at

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

. Compared to his previous seasons at Real Madrid, Gago's one year at Roma was untroubled by injury. After a 7th-placed finish, the ''Giallorossi'' were unable to meet Madrid's offer of €7 million to make his deal permanent.

Valencia and Vélez Sarsfield loan

On 19 July 2012, shortly after returning from loan to Real Madrid,

purchased Gago for a reported fee in the region of €3.5 million, on a four-year deal. He debuted on 19 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 away draw against his previous club. In January 2013, Vélez Sársfield signed Gago on a six-month loan without a buying option. He had previously rejected offers from Russia and Turkey. His brief spell at ''El Fortín'' was marred by further muscle and knee problems. In his seven games, he managed one goal, concluding a 3–0 home win over Chile's

Deportes Iquique Club de Deportes Iquique S.A.D.P. is a Chilean professional football club based in Iquique, currently playing in the Chilean Primera División. Founded in 1978, the club's home stadium is the Estadio Tierra de Campeones, which has a 13,171 capac ...

in the second stage of the

2013 Copa Libertadores The 2013 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2013 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores for sponsorship reasons) was the 54th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier international club football tournament organize ...

on 20 February.

Return to Boca Juniors

Boca Juniors bought 50% of Gago's playing rights from Valencia for a fee of €1.7 million in July 2013. He signed a three-year deal in the aim of making the Argentina squad for the

. On 13 September 2015 in the

Superclásico ''SuperClásico'' is a 2011 Danish romantic comedy film set in Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American coun ...

away to River Plate, he left the game after 24 seconds due to a left

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

injury; he returned to action in late January. On 24 April 2016, Gago suffered the same injury after 44 minutes at home to River Plate, returning at the end of November. In March 2017, his contract was extended for three more years. He suffered another injury on international duty that October, and did not recover until May 2018. Boca Juniors reached the 2018 Copa Libertadores Finals against rivals River, and the second leg had to be played at Gago's former club ground in Madrid due to hooliganism. He came on in the 89th minute for captain Pablo Pérez just before the game went to extra time, and suffered another Achilles injury in the 116th minute. Having used all four substitutes and had Wilmar Barrios sent off, Boca fell to a 3–1 loss with nine men.

Return to Vélez Sarsfield

Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Gago was released by Boca and signed a one-year contract with Vélez Sarsfield. His new manager was his former Real Madrid and international teammate,

Gabriel Heinze Gabriel Iván Heinze (; born 19 April 1978) is an Argentine football coach and former player. As a player, he operated as a defender, either as a left-back or a centre-back. Nicknamed '' Gringo'', he made a name for himself at Paris Saint-Germai ...

. He made his comeback after nine months on 24 August 2019 in a 3–1 home win over

Newell's Old Boys Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario, Santa Fe. The club was founded on 3 November 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell of the English county of Kent, one of the pioneers of Argentine football. A ...

. In November 2020, Gago announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 34.

International career

Gago was part of the under-20 squad which won the

2005 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 15th edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in the Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. Venues Qualification The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA Worl ...

. He made his senior international debut on 7 February 2007 in a 1–0 friendly win away to France. He played in the

2007 Copa América The 2007 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, known simply as the 2007 Copa América or 2007 Copa América Venezuela, was the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams. The c ...

, and was part of the team which won the gold medal at the

. Gago was one of over 100 players used by

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

qualification, but also one of the highest-profile absentees for the final tournament in South Africa. He returned to the squad for the

2011 Copa América The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international association football, football tournament for national ...

. Gago was named in Argentina's 23-man squad for the

. He made his

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

debut in Argentina's 2–1 defeat of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

at the Estádio do Maracanã, coming on as a half-time substitute for

Hugo Campagnaro Hugo Armando Campagnaro (; born 27 June 1980) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a centre back. A full international for Argentina since 2012, Campagnaro has earned 17 caps for his country, and two years later was selec ...

. He was named in the starting line-up for the team's second match, a 1–0 win over

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

, and remained a starter until being replaced by

Lucas Biglia Lucas Rodrigo Biglia (; born 30 January 1986) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Formerly of Argentinos Juniors and Club Atlético Independiente, Independiente, he spent sev ...

in the quarter-finals. Gago replaced

Enzo Pérez Enzo Nicolás Pérez (; born 22 February 1986) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Argentine Primera División club River Plate. Pérez played four years for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, where he won five trophie ...

after 86 minutes of the final, which Argentina lost 0–1 to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

after extra time. On 5 October 2017, Gago returned to the national team against

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. In his final international match, he suffered cruciate ligament injuries to his right knee.

Style of play

Gago relished operating in a holding role at Boca Juniors, functioning as a

in front of the defence, due to his intelligence and ability to dictate play in midfield with his passing; he has also played in a similar role with the Argentina national team and other clubs. Upon arriving in Europe in 2006, Gago drew comparisons to compatriot and former Real Madrid man

Fernando Redondo Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri (; born 6 June 1969) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He most notably played for Real Madrid and AC Milan. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive m ...

, due to his ability to build up play and break down the oppositions' attacks, thus enabling him to contribute both offensively and defensively. His

profile described Gago as a "very dynamic footballer who predicates his game on ball movement". He is also capable of reaching the opponent's box, possesses a tremendous vision for the game, ecan cover much ground and knows how to protect the ball.

Managerial career

Aldosivi

On 17 January 2021, Gago was appointed manager of

side Aldosivi. He lost 2–1 at home to Godoy Cruz on his debut on 14 February. He resigned on 27 September after a run of six consecutive defeats left the team in 23rd.

Racing Club

Gago returned to work on 21 October 2021, signing with Racing Club until the end of the following year. Two days later, he lost 2–1 on his debut at

Rosario Central Club Atlético Rosario Central (), more commonly referred to as Rosario Central, or simply Central, is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on 24 December 1889, ...

. In June 2022, despite eliminations from the

Copa Argentina The Copa Argentina (English: ''Argentine Cup''), officially known as the "Copa Argentina AXION energy" due to sponsorship reasons, is an official football cup competition organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The first editions ...

and

Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...

, Gago's contract was renewed for another year. The team ended the domestic season as runners-up to Boca, who started the final day one point ahead as the teams drew their respective games; Racing had a penalty that would have won them the title, but River Plate's

Franco Armani Franco Armani (; born 16 October 1986) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Argentine Primera División club Club Atlético River Plate, River Plate, which ...

saved from Jonathan Galván. On 6 November, his team won 2–1 against Boca in the

Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional The Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional is an official List of Argentine football national cups, national football cup of Argentina organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and contested by the winners of Argentine Primera Divi ...

with an extra-time goal from

Carlos Alcaraz Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (; born 5 May 2003) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), inc ...

; the game had 11 red cards including for his celebration and opposing manager

Hugo Ibarra Hugo Benjamín "Negro" Ibarra (born 1 April 1974), is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a right back. He last managed Boca Juniors. With 324 matches played, 10 goals scored and 15 titles won with Boca Juniors,

. In the

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Supercopa Internacional The Supercopa Internacional (English: International Super Cup) is an official national association football cup of Argentina contested by the reigning champions of Primera División and Trofeo de Campeones respectively.

, played the following 20 January in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, Gago's team again beat Boca by the same score via a penalty from Gonzalo Piovi in the seventh minute of added time. Racing fell to the same side in the quarter-finals of the

2023 Copa Libertadores The 2023 Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores was the 64th edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores (also referred to as the ''Copa Libertadores''), South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. The final was played at the Estádio ...

on penalties, and days later were defeated 5–3 at home by

Club Atlético Huracán Club Atlético Huracán () is an Argentine sports club from the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is notable for its association football, football team, that currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, Primera Divi ...

in the last 16 of the Copa Argentina. On 30 September 2023, following a 2-0 home defeat to Independiente in the

Avellaneda derby The Avellaneda derby (Spanish: ''Clásico de Avellaneda'') is the second-most important rivalry in Argentine football. It is contested between Independiente and Racing Club. It is the second-most important local derby, behind the ''Superclási ...

, he resigned under pressure from the supporters.

Guadalajara

On 20 December 2023, Mexican club

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

announced Gago as their new head coach for the Clausura 2024 tournament. On 10 October 2024, Gago terminated his contract with Guadalajara by covering the expenses of his exit clause.

Boca Juniors

On 14 October 2024,

announced Gago as their new head coach. On 29 April 2025, Gago was relieved of his duties following a defeat in the

Necaxa

On 12 June 2025, Gago returned to Mexico to take up the position of head coach at

Personal life

Gago,

Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. He is regarded as one of th ...

and

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...

had all been teammates as children back in Argentina. Together, the three of them won the

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Gago is a literature and art enthusiast. The first thing he did after landing in Spain was visit the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

. He earned the nickname "El Pintita" (roughly meaning "the little one trying to look good" in English) ever since Ramón Maddoni scolded him for playing with his hair. Also, his Boca Juniors teammates would call him so because his youth squad coach would scold him, "Stop trying to look good and run!" Gago was married to professional

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player

Gisela Dulko Gisela Dulko (; born 30 January 1985) is an Argentine former tennis player. Although she enjoyed modest success in singles, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 26 and winning four WTA Tour, WTA titles, her speciality was doubles, where s ...

with whom he has two sons and a daughter. The couple separated in 2021, after he had an affair with one of her friends. In September 2005, Gago's father died of a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

while Gago was playing for Boca Juniors against Racing Club. In February 2021, his brother died in the same way while Gago was managing Aldosivi against the same club.

Career statistics

Club

International

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Boca Juniors *

: 2005 Apertura, 2006 Clausura,

, 2016–17, 2017–18 *

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

Recopa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana (), also known as Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club Association football, football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1988. It ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

Real Madrid *

: 2006–07, 2007–08 *

Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Supercopa de España The Supercopa de España, also known as the Spanish Super Cup, is a super cup tournament in Football in Spain, Spanish football. Founded in 1982 Supercopa de España, 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2 ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Vélez Sarsfield *

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Argentina U20 *

FIFA U-20 World Cup The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members' men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when i ...

Argentina Olympic *

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

Argentina *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

runner-up:

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

runner-up:

Individual *South American Team of the Year: 2005, 2006

Manager

Racing Club *

Individual *'' The Best of America'' Best Argentine Primera División Manager:

References

External links

Profile at Realmadrid.com
*
Gago's profile and statistics at FootballDatabase
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gago, Fernando 1986 births Living people Copa Sudamericana–winning players Footballers from Buenos Aires Province Argentine sportspeople of Spanish descent Men's association football midfielders Argentine men's footballers Argentine Primera División players La Liga players Serie A players Boca Juniors footballers Real Madrid CF players AS Roma players Valencia CF players Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield footballers Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Argentina men's youth international footballers Argentina men's under-20 international footballers Argentina men's international footballers 2007 Copa América players 2011 Copa América players 2015 Copa América players 2014 FIFA World Cup players Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Argentina Olympic gold medalists for Argentina Olympic medalists in football Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Argentine football managers Club Atlético Aldosivi managers Racing Club de Avellaneda managers C.D. Guadalajara managers Boca Juniors managers Club Necaxa managers 21st-century Argentine sportsmen