Gonzalo Higuaín
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| Gonzalo Higuaín | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín | |
| Date of birth | December 10, 1987 (age 19) | |
| Place of birth | Brest, France | |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |
| Nickname | El Pipita | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Real Madrid | |
| Number | 20 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| River Plate | ||
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2005-2007 2007- |
River Plate Real Madrid |
33 (13) 6 (1) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín (born December 10, 1987 in Brest, Finistère, France) is a Argentine-French footballer. He currently plays as a striker[1] at the Spanish club Real Madrid.
Gonzalo Higuaín was born in France whilst his father, professional Argentine footballer Jorge "El Pipa" Higuaín, was playing for Brest, at that time in the French Ligue 1. Having left the country at the age of 10 months, not returning until the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Even though he does not speak French,[2] he holds a French passport, because his father was naturalized French. But in January 2007, he successfully applied for the Argentine nationality.[3]
He has rejected calls from both the Argentine Under 20s and French national teams,[4] like a friendly against Greece, November 15, 2006,[5] claiming he is still to decide for which country he would prefer to play. Touted by many as a star of the future, he has attracted the interest of several big clubs such as A.C. Milan, Lazio, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea.
Following his double strike in the Superclásico local derby against Boca Juniors, River Plate manager Daniel Passarella declared that he had an 'enormous future' and was 'destined for superstardom'.[6]
Higuaín's international career was looking set to mirror that of David Trézéguet, whose father was Argentinian, and who was raised in Argentina, but went on to play successfully for France. When France national team call-up Higuaín against Greece, they assigned him No.20, the number originally worn by Trézéguet. He has now been dubbed the new "David Trézéguet". Nevertheless, at the beginning of 2007 Higuaín expressed his desire to play with the Argentine side, and started the procedures to obtain the Argentine citizenship.[7]
After Real Madrid's capture of another South American starlet, Marcelo, rumours were mounting that Higuaín and Fernando Gago of Boca Juniors will be signing for the Whites in the future.
AC Milan were also linked with Higuaín. Milan director Ariedo Braida is frequently reported to be in Argentina, looking for possibility to bring Higuaín, together with his compatriots Fernando Gago and Rodrigo Palacio, on January transfer window.
Spanish giants Real Madrid successfully signed Higuaín for 13 million Euros, seeing that River Plate turned down a 10 million Euro offer for 19-year-old striker earlier by Real.
The striker, who has been heavily courted by European clubs, announced at the signing of his six and a half-year contract, "it's great to have the chance of playing for such an important club as Real Madrid. I feel proud that Madrid has noticed me."
Higuain's first game for Real Madrid was facing Real Zaragoza at home.[8] Higuain shone by creating several chances and delivering the assist which resulted in Madrid's 1-0 crucial win against Zaragoza. Higuain's debut goal for Real Madrid came during the 62nd minute in Real Madrid's draw with local rivals Atletico Madrid on February 24, 2007. Judging by this performance, Higuain's future seems bright.
He is the younger brother of Federico Higuaín, who plays football for Nueva Chicago.
[edit] References
- ^ "Higuaín defines himself as a striker", Clarín, 2006-08-07. (in Spanish)
- ^ "Higuaín admits he doesn't speak a word of French", Clarín, 2006-10-24. (in Spanish)
- ^ "Higuaín get Argentine Citizenship", Clarín, 2006-10-31. (in Spanish)
- ^ "La Celeste y Blanca pesa", Olé, 2006-11-10. (in Spanish)
- ^ "Domenech turns to uncapped tyros", UEFA, 2006-11-09.
- ^ "Passarella predicts River's 18-year-old Higuain has "enormous future"", International Herald Tribune, 2006-10-09.
- ^ "Higuain to choose Argentina over France" - Yahoo sports
- ^ Tactical Formation. Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved on January 16, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Gonzalo Higuaín Tactical Formations at Football-Lineups.com
- GonzaloHiguain.com Gonzalo Higuain Online
- Gonzalo Higuain Fan Site
- Higuain English and Spanish
| Real Madrid - Current Squad |
|---|
|
1 Casillas | 2 Salgado | 3 Roberto Carlos | 4 Ramos | 5 Cannavaro | 6 Diarra | 7 Raúl | 8 Emerson | 10 Robinho | 11 Cicinho | 12 Marcelo | 13 López | 14 Guti | 15 Bravo | 16 Gago | 17 van Nistelrooy | 18 Cassano | 19 Reyes | 20 Higuaín | 21 Helguera | 22 Pavón | 23 Beckham | 24 Mejía | 25 Miñambres | 26 Javi García | 27 De la Red | 36 Nieto | 38 Torres | 39 Valero | Coach Capello |
