Gonzalo Higuain is a misunderstood character. Few players have experienced the highs and lows like the Argentine, and when he is in a strop he makes the proverbial bear with a sore head seem like Michael McIntyre on happy pills.
These are testing times for the striker, though an old friend from his days in the bay of Naples might be capable of bringing back the smiles.
Higuain is contracted to Juventus until June 2021, but is currently on loan to AC Milan. His switch to the Rossoneri last summer was enforced by the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juve. Not for the first time in his career, Higuain was surplus to requirements and politely invited to tootle off, like when he left Real Madrid for Napoli in July 2013.
Higuian, is nicknamed ‘el Pipita’ as a tribute to his footballing father Jorge, who was called ‘el Pipa’. He was born in France, where his dad was playing, but the family moved back to Argentina when Gonzalo was ten months old, when Jorge joined River Plate.
Higuain has endured many disappointments that would have crushed other players. Perhaps the most infamous was a golden chance in the 2014 World Cup final. The score was 0-0 after twenty minutes, when a mis-judged headed back pass by Toni Kross put the South American one on one with Manuel Neuer.
The number nine sent a low drive wide of the post, and the opening was gone. Teammate Javier Mascherano threw his hands onto his head. He knew what a glorious opportunity it was. Everyone watching around the world knew, and that rushed shot came back to haunt Argentina when they lost 1-0 after extra time.
A year later he fluffed a crucial penalty when Napoli hosted Lazio in Serie A. The match was practically a Champions League play-off, and with quarter of an hour to go, Napoli won a spot-kick with the score 2-2.
Higuain, on a hat-trick, had his side’s destiny at his right foot. But he blasted over, and the visitors went on to score twice, claiming a shock 4-2 win. No Champions League for the Azzurri and heartbreak for their centre-forward.
His reputation for lacking the big match mentality continued growing. In stoppage time of the 2015 Copa America final against Chile, Higuain smashed an admittedly difficult chance into the side netting. The game ended goalless, and he fired his penalty into the Santiago sky in the shootout. Chile were the South American champions.
The script changed little the following summer in the Centenary Copa America final, although this time Higuain was substituted on 70 minutes. Midway through the first half he’d failed to capitalise on a great chance after pouncing on a sloppy pass by a Chile player. It finished 0-0, and Arturo Vidal and co. triumphed after penalties for the second year running.
His final curse also tainted his Juve career. Higuain was the hero in the 2016/17 Champions League semi-final first leg at Monaco, scoring two priceless away goals. But he barely had a meaningful touch in Cardiff where his former team Real crushed the Bianconeri 4-1 and took the silverware.
These agonising misses and misadventures fuel the theory that the Argentine can’t handle big matches. Those who have met and worked with him find him an intriguing character. There is a common view from members of the media that the ex-River ace can be arrogant and that he is covering big insecurities.
Higuain is a loner and can be touchy at times. He didn’t have huge amounts of friends in the Napoli dressing room, and to this day still leaps in the air and flays his arms with disgust when teammates don’t give him the pass he wanted.
There have been question marks over his lifestyle and diet too. To his credit, even at 31-years-old, Higuain has got an impressive short distance sprint considering his less than svelte physique. His weight has been a constant talking point for the last three seasons. In 2016 Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said the striker returned from the Christmas holidays looking like ‘he was running with a brick in his pocket’.
The 31-year-old will never star in a reboot of Baywatch, but his strength makes him hard to knock off the ball, and he is faster than he looks. There is a lot going for Higuain. Indeed, he wouldn’t get into scoring positions in high profile matches or appear in so many finals if he were an average player.
There have been joyful moments. He has won five league titles between Spain and Italy, and three Coppa Italias. In May 2008 he came on as a substitute for Real who were 1-0 down at Osasuna. They were fighting Barcelona for the league, but heading for a costly defeat. Three minutes from end Pipita created a goal for Arjen Robben, and at the death grabbed the winner himself to crown Madrid champions.
Last season’s clash with Inter was no less dramatic. Juve were facing two dropped points at San Siro, but el Pipita popped up with the deciding goal a minute before full-time. His clinical strike against former club Napoli (and scudetto rivals) in December 2017 was equally influential.
The home fans gave him a rough welcome and his participation was in doubt right until kick-off due to pain from a recent hand operation. But he played through the discomfort, ignored the barracking from the supporters who once loved him, and settled the matter on his own after thirteen minutes.
That game was Napoli’s first league loss of the season, and one of the turning points of the scudetto tussle. In short, exactly and the kind of goal Juventus signed the Argentine for.
If it’s sheer volume of goals that impress you, look no further than the 2015/16 Serie A campaign. In 35 games the Argentine broke a 66-year record by scoring 36 times in a league season. He plundered every type of goal as Napoli’s irrepressible spearhead. He felt valued and adored by his coach, Maurizio Sarri.
The fact that Sarri knows how to get the best from Higuain is a huge boost for Chelsea. The player, who boasts a cannon for a right foot, was the sharpest and happiest of his career in that single campaign under Sarri’s guidance. Higuain told Total Italian Football ‘the first thing that you notice about Sari is his sincerity. He looks you in the eye when he talks to you. He convinced me to stay with Napoli in five minutes (at the start of the 2015/16 season). He got the best out of me, and I am grateful.’
It’s true the Premier League is faster than Serie A and the forward is several years older than those record-breaking days, there is more space for attackers in English football. There is no convincing argument that Higuain won’t do as well as, if not better than struggling Alvaro Morata, or Olivier Giroud, who would probably require four seasons to hit 36 league goals.
He scowls, skulks and roars at teammates, and doesn’t thrive in finals. But Gonzalo Higuain is a guarantee of goals. Chelsea are on the verge of recruiting a demanding, sensitive soul, but also a winner. Someone who can make the difference when he’s feeling loved. If you look at it that way, signing el Pipita isn’t such a gamble.