He was unable to play the whole season due to injury, but he won Messi’s tribute: the Triple Crown also belongs to Milito

October 24 News Recently, former Barcelona player Gabriel Milito accepted an interview with Argentine TV. He talked about Messi giving him the greatest respect when he won the Triple Crown in the 2008-09 season.

Guardiola's first season coaching Barcelona was nothing short of magical, when the team won the Triple Crown of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. At first, no one believed that this team, led by a young coach who had just been promoted from Barcelona's B team, could achieve the feat of "Triple Crown" for the first time in the club's century-old history.

In that championship lineup, there was one player who was always troubled by injuries and failed to play a minute throughout the season. He was Gabriel Milito. The central defender joined Barcelona from Zaragoza in 2007 for 20 million euros. He only maintained a stable appearance in his first season (2007-2008), playing a total of 27 games.

Milito said: "It was a very difficult year because I was injured and spent the whole season recovering. I never wore game clothes, only training clothes, and I trained alone with the physical therapist. I remember that I was at the scene wearing training clothes on the day of the celebration, but I felt that I shouldn't be there."

So, Milito planned to leave when no one was paying attention, to avoid the embarrassment and powerlessness. It was then that Messi, already showing signs of leadership, appeared: "He asked me, 'Where are you going?' and I said, 'No, Leo, I'm leaving. I never changed my uniform... I felt really bad,'" Milito recalled, adding that he also asked Messi not to tell the rest of his teammates.

However, when he returned home and watched the team celebration with his wife, an accident happened. "After everyone finished speaking, Messi picked up the microphone again." Milito recalled the scene at that time.

Messi said at the sold-out Camp Nou: "I want to mention one thing, Milito is not with us today. He did not come out because he is a fool (laughing). But even though he was not on the court today, he has been supporting us. He has gone through a very difficult year, but he has always been with the team, so this championship also belongs to him."

In front of nearly 100,000 fans, Messi gave Milito the respect he deserved and proved that a real locker room is like a family. No matter how much they play, everyone is equally important. This scene also reflects Messi's deep empathy for a compatriot who has been unable to show his talent due to injury.

In the end, Milito left Barcelona in 2011 and returned to Argentina to join Independiente to complete the last season of his career. It was in 2003 that he landed in Spain.