| Gustavo Caballero | |
| Fullname: | Gustavo Rubén Caballero González |
| Height: | 1.89m[1] |
| Position: | Midfielder, forward |
| Currentclub: | Nacional Asunción |
| Clubnumber: | 11 |
| Years1: | 2019 |
| Clubs1: | Deportivo Capiatá |
| Caps1: | 7 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2022 |
| Clubs2: | Sportivo Ameliano |
| Caps2: | 12 |
| Goals2: | 2 |
| Years3: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs3: | Nacional Asunción |
| Caps3: | 33 |
| Goals3: | 4 |
| Years4: | 2023 |
| Clubs4: | Sportivo Ameliano |
| Caps4: | 8 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2024– |
| Clubs5: | Nacional Asunción |
| Caps5: | 18 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2024– |
| Nationalteam1: | Paraguay Olympic |
| Nationalcaps1: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Pcupdate: | 5 June 2024. |
| Ntupdate: | 27 July 2024. |
Gustavo Rubén Caballero González (born 21 September 2001) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or forward for Primera División club Nacional.
Caballero made his debut in the Paraguayan Primera División on 12 July 2019, starting for Club Deportivo Capiatá in their 1–0 home win over Sportivo Luqueño.[2] His senior career did not resume again until the 2022 season, when he scored his first two goals with Sportivo Ameliano, both in games against Club Olimpia.[3]
In July 2022, Caballero joined Club Nacional, who had been in irregular form and mid-table positions in the first half of the season.[3] In his second game for La Academia on 25 July, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 win at 12 de Octubre Football Club.[4] On 28 February 2023, he scored his first continental goal in the Copa Libertadores, albeit in a 5–1 loss away to Sporting Cristal of Peru, eliminating his side 5–3 on aggregate; he was soon afterwards demoted to the reserve team as a punishment for alleged tactical disobedience.[5] He returned to Ameliano for the second half of the 2023 season.[6]
Caballero made his debut for the Paraguay national under-23 football team on 8 June 2024 as a substitute in a 4–0 friendly loss to neighbours Argentina. He was named in the squad for the 2024 Olympic event in France, but was moved to standby after veteran Fabián Balbuena received late permission from FC Dynamo Moscow.[7] Caballero was restored to the main team days later when Fabrizio Peralta was denied permission by his Brazilian club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube,[8] and then dropped again as Julio Enciso was allowed to play by Brighton & Hove Albion.[9] On the day before the tournament, he was finally reinstalled in the squad when Diego González suffered an injury.[10]