FCBARCELONA.CAT

05.01.2010 23:58

Milito returns to competitive football

Roger Bogunyà

The only piece of good news on Tuesday evening was the long-awaited return to competitive football of Gaby Milito. It was the Argentine defender’s first game since April 2008.

Just after 9 pm the news broke that Gaby Milito would be back in the Barça squad in the Camp Nou for the first time since that semi-final in April 2008. Speaking after the match he told us: "Today I was able to leave all that behind and feel like a footballer again”.

68 minutes on the pitch

The fans were chanting his name right from kick-off and then when he came on he was cheered every time he touched the ball: “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time”. He produced a good performance and it didn’t look as if he’d been out of action for so long. In the 68 minutes he was on the pitch, he made 50 interventions and recovered possession four times. He was replaced by Busquets.

Happy and sad

Milito admitted that he had bitter-sweet feelings about the match: “On the one hand I’m very happy. On the other I’m upset about the result. Let’s hope we’ll be happier in a week. It would all have been different if we’d won”. However, looking at the positives, he’s back in the team and looking fit: “I felt fine but there’s still room for improvement. I have to regain match fitness”.