Gabriel Milito and Chivas’ Winning Stamp in the Clásicos | OneFootball

Clásicos are matches that demand character, emotional intelligence, leadership, experience, and love for the institution being defended. Gabriel Milito is a man who, with all the experience he accumulated as both a player and a coach, has demonstrated that he possesses all of these qualities since arriving on the Chivas bench. Since then, he has ensured that the Rojiblanco crest is respected and remains perfect against the club’s most hated rivals.

As a player, he built an enviable career across world football, taking part in some of the sport’s biggest rivalries. Early in his career, he experienced the clash between Independiente and Racing in Argentine football, and later he wore the Barcelona jersey against Real Madrid in Spain’s La Liga. As a coach, the story has been no different. During his time in 2024 on the Atlético Mineiro bench in Brazil, he defeated the club’s biggest rival, Cruzeiro, to win the Campeonato Mineiro title.

Since arriving at Chivas, his record against Atlas and América has been perfect: 4 wins across the two tournaments in which he has faced them, with dominant numbers—9 goals scored and only 3 conceded, collecting all 12 available points, with performances in which his team clearly outplayed their fiercest rivals.

In the Clásico Tapatío, the Rojiblanco side delivered two demonstrations of its overwhelming superiority in quality, squad depth, and character. In Apertura 2025, they crushed their rivals 4–1 at Estadio AKRON in a complete performance that was crowned by a hat trick from “Hormiga” González. This Saturday, despite falling behind against an opponent focused more on disrupting play than proposing it, Milito identified his team’s needs and helped them complete an epic 1–2 comeback that unleashed a Rojiblanco carnival across the city and throughout Jalisco.

Against Las Águilas, the story was no different. In AP25, he understood that the Clásico de México would represent a key turning point for his team, so he prioritized efficiency in front of goal until securing a 1–2 victory that set the foundation for the team’s identity to this day. The matchup in CL26 was a true masterclass: even though the final score was 1–0, Chivas’ collective superiority on the field was undeniable.

On top of that, the record can be expanded when considering preseason matches, where he faced each rival once. First came a draw against the capital side at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of the Tour Rebaño 2025 last October. Then came a scoreless draw against their city neighbors during preseason ahead of the current tournament, played at the start of this year.

Gabriel Milito has clearly elevated Chivas through an offensive, attractive footballing proposal while maximizing each player in roles that fit together like Swiss clockwork. But beyond that, he has also become an additional asset from the bench, providing solutions, alternatives, and tactical variations that continue to push Guadalajara to the next level.