Who is Jesús Gil Manzano, the referee for AC Milan vs Inter?

Spain’s Jesús Gil Manzano will referee AC Milan vs Inter today, as the city rivals face off in a European Derby della Madonnina.

Both in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in over a decade, the Italians will battle it out for the right to take on Real Madrid or Manchester City in June’s final in Istanbul.

The last-four first leg at the San Siro will kick off at 9pm local time (3pm ET/12 noon PT).

Gil Manzano’s first UCL semi-final appointment

Added to FIFA’s list of international referees in 2014 - when he was just 29 - Gil Manzano made his Champions League debut three years later. He has since taken charge of a total of 19 games in Europe’s elite club competition, none of which have come as late as the semi-finals.

The 39-year-old’s previous assignments in the Champions League knockout stages were two quarter-final matches - including Manchester City’s 3-0 first-leg win over Bayern Munich in April - and three last-16 ties.

So far, Gil Manzano is yet to send a player off in the tournament.

The Spaniard has only crossed paths with either Milan or Inter once in the Champions League. That was earlier this season, when he was appointed to the former’s 3-1 group-stage win over Dinamo Zagreb in September.

Although new to the Milan derby, Gil Manzano has experience of other high-profile domestic rivalries. Most notably, he has refereed two Clásico clashes between LaLiga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, in October 2014 and April 2021. He was also the man in the middle for February’s Spanish-capital derby between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.

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Milan vs Inter: match officials in full

At the San Siro today, Gil Manzano will head up an all-Spanish team of officials. Diego Barbero and Ángel Nevado will be the assistant referees, with José María Sánchez the fourth official.

Juan Martínez Munuera will be the video assistant referee (VAR), and Alejandro Hernández will be the assistant VAR.