Fernando Gago

Football player infobox
playername= Fernando Gago


fullname = Fernando Rubén Gago
nickname = "Pintita", "Fer", "Nando"
height = height|m=1.78
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1986|4|10
cityofbirth = Ciudadela
countryofbirth = Argentina
position = Central Midfielder, defensive midfielder
currentclub = Real Madrid
clubnumber = 8
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 2004–2007
2007–
clubs = Boca Juniors
Real Madrid
caps(goals) = 68 (1)
44 (0)
pcupdate = 22:23, 16 May 2008 (UTC)
nationalyears = 2005
2006–
2007–
nationalteam = Argentina U-20
Argentina U-23
Argentina
nationalcaps(goals) = 14 (0)
09 (0)
19 (0)
pcupdate = 11 September, 2008
ntupdate = 11 September, 2008

Fernando Rubén Gago "El Pintita"(born April 10 1986 in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine football midfielder, who plays for La Liga club Real Madrid.

Club career

Boca Juniors

Gago, who came from the youth divisions of Boca Juniors, made his professional debut with Boca in the 1–0 victory over Quilmes, on December 5 2004. Despite his youth, he quickly became an essential part of the Boca Juniors' midfield, and is considered a quality player, often compared with fellow countryman Fernando Redondo. His solid performance attracted Spanish powerhouses Real Madridcite news
url = http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=420029&CPID=23&clid=186&lid=26&title=Gago+gaga+for+Madrid+move
title = Gago gaga for Madrid move
publisher = Sky Sports
date = 2006-10-04] , and FC Barcelona [cite news
url = http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=420169&CPID=23&clid=178&lid=26&title=Barca+take+check+on+Boca+pair
title = Barca take check on Boca pair
publisher = Sky Sports
date = 2006-10-04] .

Real Madrid

]

Gago made his debut for Real Madrid in the 2-0 La Liga defeat against Deportivo La Coruna on January 7, 2007. [cite web|title=Tactical Formation|work=Football-Lineups.com
url=http://www.football-lineups.com/wiki/_match3260.php | accessdate=January 15 | accessyear=2007] This promised to be an exciting start for the extremely talented midfielder, however due to the poor performance of the entire Real Madrid outfit, Gago's apparent talent was not withstanding, and, after being at fault for the opening goal by breaking from the rest of the defensive wall at a free-kick, he was substituted for Ronaldo [cite news
url = http://home.skysports.com/matchreport.aspx?fxid=306162&cpid=23
title = Deportivo La Coruna 2 0 Real Madrid, Match Report
publisher = Sky Sports
date = 2007-01-07] . However, a week later, against Real Zaragoza at Santiago Bernabeu, Gago's performance lifted along with that of his team mates. His defensive game picked up considerably as he fought hard in midfield, while also demonstrating vision by delivering several through balls to the attackers. Real Madrid defeated Real Zaragoza 1-0 [cite news
url = http://home.skysports.com/matchreport.aspx?fxid=306172&cpid=23
title = Real Madrid 1 0 Real Zaragoza, Match Report
publisher = Sky Sports
date = 2007-01-14] , with a goal from Ruud van Nistelrooy, created by fellow new signing Gonzalo Higuaín.

On May 20 2007, With the score tied at 2-2 against Recreativo, Real Madrid looked set to return the lead back to rivals Barcelona until Fernando Gago gave a last minute assist to Roberto Carlos who scored at the end of the match and the squad left Huelva with just three "finals" left to play. Real managed to beat Recreativo 3-2 at the Nuevo Colombino and went on to win the league that year as well.

In his second season at the club, Gago displayed his true ability with a series of top class performances in the centre of Madrid's La Liga winning midfield. He managed to claim a first team spot in place of Mahamadou Diarra and was a key figure in the clubs second successive league title.

Club career statistics

:"(correct as of 1 June, 2008)"

Personal life

Gago, Sergio Agüero and Lionel Messi had all been teammates as children back in Argentina [ [http://realmadrid.com/articulo/rma43845.htm Real Madrid C.F. Web Oficial - Real Madrid C.F. Official Web Site ] ] . Together, the three of them won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. Presently all three of them, now in their twenties, are based in Spanish clubs (Agüero at Atlético Madrid and Messi at FC Barcelona).

Fernando Gago is also a literature and art enthusiast. The first thing he did after landing in Spain was visit the Prado Museum. [ [http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1193041476158/1193041477708/jugador/Jugador/Gago.htm Real Madrid C.F. Web Oficial - Real Madrid C.F. Official Web Site ] ] . He earned the nickname "El Pintita" ("pintar" in Spanish means "to draw") ever since Ramón Maddoni scolded him for playing with his hair. [http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1193041476158/1193041477708/jugador/Jugador/Gago.htm] Also, his Boca Juniors teammates would call him so because his youth squad coach would scold him "stop drawing and run!" [http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1202733625949/noticia/Noticia/Fernando_Gago_2008-04-21_16:53:48.htm]

Titles

References

External links

* [http://www.footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=player&Id=6485&pn=Fernando_Rub%C3%A9n_Gago Gago's profile and statistics at FootballDatabase]
* [http://www.gfdb.com/Player.2971.Fernando-Gago.aspx Profile] at GFDb.com
* [http://www.fernandogago.org/forum/index.php Fernando Gago forum]
* [http://www.fernando-gago.net Fernando Gago Web]