.jpg) Heinze in 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gabriel Iván Heinze[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1978-04-19)19 April 1978 (age 47)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Crespo, Argentina[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Arsenal (first team coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Newell's Old Boys | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2001 | Valladolid | 54 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | →Sporting CP (loan) | 5 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Paris Saint-Germain | 99 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Manchester United | 52 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Real Madrid | 44 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Marseille | 58 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Roma | 30 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Newell's Old Boys | 54 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 397 | (20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Argentina Olympic | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Argentina | 72 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Godoy Cruz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Argentinos Juniors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Vélez Sarsfield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Atlanta United | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Newell's Old Boys | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gabriel Iván Heinze (Spanish pronunciation:[ɡaˈβɾjelˈxejnse]; born 19 April 1978) is an Argentinefootball coach and former player who is currently a first team coach atPremier League clubArsenal. As a player, he operated as a defender, either as aleft-back or acentre-back.[3]
NicknamedGringo,[4][5] he made a name for himself atParis Saint-Germain, moving in 2004 toManchester United and subsequently toReal Madrid, winning three trophies in total with the latter two clubs. He started and finished his 18-year professional career with Newell's Old Boys.
Heinze played 72 times for theArgentina national team, including at twoFIFA World Cup and twoCopa América tournaments. In 2015, he began working as a manager, leading four teams in theArgentine Primera División.
Heinze was born inCrespo, Entre Ríos to a father ofVolga German descent[6] and a mother ofItalian descent, thus also holding anItalian[7] and aGerman passport.[8][9] He began his career in his home country withNewell's Old Boys and, following attention from various European clubs, the 19-year-old signed forReal Valladolid in Spain, not managing one singleLa Liga appearance inhis first season and also being loaned toSporting CP in December 1998.[10]
After the2000–01 campaign, where he appeared in 36 league games to help theCastile and León side narrowly avoid top flight relegation, Heinze moved toParis Saint-Germain, where he amassed over 100 overall appearances in three years, helping to the2004 conquest of theCoupe de France.
In June 2004, Heinze joinedManchester United for a fee of £6.9million.[8] He marked his debut on 11 September with a goal in a 2–2 away draw againstBolton Wanderers,[11] and immediately established himself as first-choiceleft-back, being regularly lauded by fans with the chant of"Ar-gen-tina!"[12] and eventually voted the club's best player for the2004–05 season.[13]
On 14 September 2005, Heinze was injured in aUEFA Champions League match withVillarreal and was ruled out of first-team action for the rest ofthe campaign.[14] Previously, he had scored two goals in the same competition, the 3–0second-leg qualifier away win overDebreceni.[15] He made a comeback with thereserve team in April 2006, but a minor injury picked up in his third game back prevented him from making a first-team appearance before the end of the season. The consequence of this injury was the signing ofPatrice Evra, who went on to become the club's first-choice left-back in the following years.
Heinze returned to action for United in2006–07, and eventually won a place in the side back as acentral defender, due to an injury crisis. After the team had sealed thePremier League title, he was namedcaptain for the last two games of the season, away toChelsea[16] and at home toWest Ham United.[17]
After becoming disillusioned with managerAlex Ferguson by his lack of regular first-team action,[18] Heinze demanded a transfer toLiverpool during the close season.[19] United rejected the bid, believed to be in the region of £6.8 million.[20]
On 22 August 2007, Heinze joinedReal Madrid on a four-year deal, becoming the third United player to join the Spaniards (afterDavid Beckham andRuud van Nistelrooy), for a reported £8 million fee.[21] He made his debut on 2 September against Villarreal, coming on as asubstitute forRaúl.[22] On 30 March 2008 he netted his first goal for theMerengues, in a 3–1 home win overSevilla,[23] and finishedhis debut season with 20 appearances to help win the league.
Heinze was more regularly used inhis second year at theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium, but the club came out empty in silverware, with the exception ofthat year'sSupercopa de España.[24]
On 30 July 2009, Heinze joinedMarseille on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee, reuniting at theLigue 1 club with countrymanLucho González.[25] Inhis first year he scored a career-best four league goals in 27 matches, asL'OM won both the national championship andthe season'sCoupe de la Ligue. On 27 March 2010 he was a starter as his team defeatedBordeaux inthe latter competition's final, for Marseille's first major title since 1993;[26] on 5 May, he netted the opener in a 3–1 home win againstRennes, which clinched the league.[27] ManagerDidier Deschamps later described the season's events as an "extraordinary human adventure".[28]
Heinze was again a defensive stalwart in the2010–11 season. On 20 March 2011, he scored from afree kick to help defeat his former club PSG 2–1 at home in theClasico.[29]
On 1 June 2011, it was announced on Marseille's website that 33-year-old Heinze would leave the club at the end of the season.[30]
Heinze joinedSerie A sideAS Roma on 22 July 2011, after being released by Marseille at the end of June.[31] He made his competitive debut on 11 September, in a 1–2 home loss againstCagliari.[32]
On 19 March 2012, after appearing in his 25th official game, Heinze had his contract automatically renewed for another year.[33] However, just five months later, it was announced on Roma's official website that he was being released from his contract with immediate effect;[34] the day after his release[35] he joined his original club, Newell's Old Boys, on a two-year deal.[36]
Heinze first representedArgentina on 30 April 2003, in a friendly away win withLibya.[37] The following year, he was selected as one of the threeoverage players thenArgentina U23 won thegold medal at the2004 Summer Olympics. He scored in a 6–0 win overSerbia and Montenegro in the group stage.[38]
Despite missing most of 2005–06 with Manchester United due to injury, Heinze was called up for the2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany. In the quarter-final clash againstthe hosts, he started as Argentina lost onpenalties.[39]
Heinze participated in the2007 Copa América, scoring with his head from aJuan Román Riquelme free kick in the semi-finals againstMexico, a 3–0 win for the eventual runners-up.[40] In the2010 FIFA World Cup he played in four of Argentina's five matches inSouth Africa, netting the game's only goal – his third international – in a group stage victory overNigeria.[41][42][43]
Even though he still did not possess the proper license, Heinze began working as a manager in June 2015, being appointed atGodoy Cruz in theArgentine Primera División.[44][45] On 12 July, he won 3–0 at home toCrucero del Norte on his debut.[46] He was sacked on 27 September, following two wins, two draws and six defeats.[47]
Heinze signed atArgentinos Juniors in June 2016. In July of the following year, afterachieving top-level promotion, he resigned.[48]
On 11 December 2017, Heinze was appointed atVélez Sarsfield.[49] Having led the team to two consecutiveCopa Sudamericana qualifications, he chose not to continue past the end of the2019–20 season.[50]
On 18 December 2020, Heinze was named manager ofMajor League Soccer clubAtlanta United on a two-year contract.[51] On his debut the following 6 April, the side won by one goal away toAlajuelense of Costa Rica, in thelast-16 first leg of theCONCACAF Champions League.[52]
Heinze banished Atlanta's star strikerJosef Martínez from training, and publicly said that this was his own decision, rather than a precaution based on the Venezuelan'sCOVID-19 diagnosis at the2021 Copa América.[53] On 18 July that year, having won just twice in 13 games, he was dismissed from his job.[54]
On 25 October 2022, Heinze was hired by Newell's, having rejected an offer from the club the previous December.[55] His team were knocked out in thelast 64 of theCopa Argentina on 22 February, 1–0 at home to fourth-tierClub Atlético Claypole.[56] He left after one year at the club, in which they had amid-table league finish and elimination from thelast 16 of the Copa Sudamericana bySport Club Corinthians Paulista.[57]
On 8 July 2025,Arsenal announced the appointment of Heinze as a first-team coach.[58]
Heinze was named in thePanama Papers, a 2016 leak of offshore accounts used fortax evasion. In 2005, he signed an endorsement withPuma AG in which at least a million dollars was paid to him over a period of five years through an account in his mother's name in theBritish Virgin Islands.[59]
Anurban myth, published in sources includingUEFA's website, suggested that Heinze was a member ofY Wladfa, theWelsh-speaking colony inPatagonia. This was proven false by a Manchester United spokeswoman.[7]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Newell's Old Boys | 1996–97 | Primera División | 1 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Valladolid | 1997–98 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1999–2000 | La Liga | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 19 | 0 | |||
| 2000–01 | La Liga | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 1 | |||
| Total | 54 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 1 | ||
| Sporting CP (loan) | 1998–99 | Primeira Liga | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2001–02 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 48 | 2 |
| 2002–03 | Ligue 1 | 35 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 3 | |
| 2003–04 | Ligue 1 | 33 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 3 | |
| Total | 99 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 132 | 8 | ||
| Manchester United | 2004–05 | Premier League | 26 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 39 | 1 |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 22 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
| Total | 52 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 83 | 4 | ||
| Real Madrid | 2007–08 | La Liga | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 34 | 2 | |
| Total | 44 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 60 | 3 | ||
| Marseille | 2009–10 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 36 | 6 |
| 2010–11 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 41 | 4 | |
| Total | 58 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 77 | 10 | ||
| Roma | 2011–12 | Serie A | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| Newell's Old Boys | 2012–13 | Primera División | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 37 | 1 |
| 2013–14 | Primera División | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 2 | |
| Total | 54 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 68 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 397 | 20 | 33 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 71 | 6 | 514 | 30 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2003 | 4 | 0 |
| 2004 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 10 | 1 | |
| Total | 72 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 August 2005 | Ferenc Puskás,Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | [61] |
| 2 | 11 July 2007 | Polideportivo Cachamay,Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela |  Mexico | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2007 Copa América | [40] |
| 3 | 12 June 2010 | Ellis Park,Johannesburg, South Africa |  Nigeria | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup | [41] |
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Godoy Cruz |  | 11 June 2015 | 27 September 2015 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 020.00 |
| Argentinos Juniors | | 20 June 2016 | 1 August 2017 | 46 | 25 | 14 | 7 | 62 | 26 | +36 | 054.35 |
| Vélez Sarsfield | | 11 December 2017 | 9 March 2020 | 71 | 31 | 22 | 18 | 90 | 63 | +27 | 043.66 |
| Atlanta United |  | 18 December 2020 | 18 July 2021 | 17 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 20 | −4 | 023.53 |
| Newell's Old Boys | | 25 October 2022 | 27 November 2023 | 50 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 50 | 41 | +9 | 036.00 |
| Total | 194 | 80 | 62 | 52 | 227 | 164 | +63 | 041.24 | |||
Paris Saint-Germain
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Marseille
Newell's Old Boys
Argentina Olympic
Argentina
Individual
Argentinos Juniors
Argentina squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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