He arrived from Argentina as a World Youth champion who had played in every game of the tournament alongside Lionel Messi. A few months later he headed in a goal on his Liverpool debut, and Anfield had a new name to learn.
From Banfield to the World Youth Championship
Gabriel Paletta was born in Argentina on 15 February 1986 and came through at Banfield, breaking into the first team in 2005. That summer he played in all seven games as Argentina won the FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, in a side that also included Messi and Sergio Agüero.
Liverpool agreed a deal to bring him to Anfield in February 2006, and he joined that summer.
A debut goal at Anfield
His first appearance came in the League Cup against Reading on 25 October 2006. Robbie Fowler, skipper for the night, and John Arne Riise had put Liverpool two up on the stroke of half-time. Early in the second half Jermaine Pennant’s corner found Paletta, who headed it in.
It was 3-0, his first Liverpool goal, and the kind of start a young centre-back dreams about. André Bikey pulled one back and Peter Crouch restored the three-goal lead before Leroy Lita and Shane Long set up a nervy finish, and Liverpool held on to win 4-3 in front of 42,445.
Eight games and a move home
Opportunities were scarce after that. Paletta made eight appearances in his only season at Anfield, three of them in the Premier League, and by the following August he was on his way to Boca Juniors.
Italy, Milan and a long career after Anfield
He spent three years at Boca Juniors before joining Parma in 2010 and becoming a regular in Serie A. Argentina-born, he was called up by Italy in 2014, made his debut in a friendly against Spain and started their World Cup group win over England in Brazil.
AC Milan signed him from Parma in 2015. A loan at Atalanta followed, then a spell in China with Jiangsu Suning, before he finished his career at Monza and retired in February 2023.
Eight games and one goal do not tell the whole story. Paletta left Anfield young, rebuilt his career in Argentina, Italy and China, and ended up starting a World Cup match against England. Once a Red, always a Red.
