Gonzalo Higuaín

Gonzalo Higuaín

Personal information
Full name	Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Striker / Winger
Team information
Current team	Real Madrid
Number	20
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2006	River Plate	33	(15)
2007–	Real Madrid	100	(54)
International career‡
2009–	Argentina	4	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 March 2010 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 3 March 2010

Gonzalo Gerardo "El Pipita" Higuaín (born 10 December 1987) is a French-born Argentine footballer who currently plays as a striker for Real Madrid and the Argentine national team. He is renowned for his pace, dribbling skills, and low, powerful drives.

Club career

River Plate

Following his double strike in the Superclásico derby against Boca Juniors on 8 October 2006, River Plate manager Daniel Passarella declared that he had an "enormous future" and was "destined for superstardom."

Real Madrid

Real Madrid successfully signed Higuaín for €13 million, after River Plate had earlier turned down a €10 million offer for the 19-year-old striker. Higuain reportadly have been arrested for child abuse or pornography. he is due to attend court on 31st march 2010

The striker 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 Real Madrid has noticed me."

2006–07 season

Higuaín's first game for Real Madrid was on 14 January against Real Zaragoza at home. Higuaín shone by creating several chances and delivering the assist which resulted in Real Madrid's 1–0 crucial win against Zaragoza.

Higuaín's first ever goal for Real Madrid came during the 62nd minute in Real Madrid's draw with local rivals Atlético Madrid on 24 February 2007. His first home goal for Real came in the dying minutes of Real's crucial encounter with RCD Espanyol on 12 May 2007. With the match tied at 3–3, Higuaín won the ball with a sliding tackle before exchanging a one-two with José Antonio Reyes and slotting the ball into the net. It was this goal which enabled Real Madrid to overtake rivals FC Barcelona into first place and propelled them to their 30th league title.

2007–08 season

On 4 May 2008, with Real Madrid down 1–0 against CA Osasuna, and needing just three points from their final fours games to secure the league title, Higuaín came on for Javier Saviola in the 67th minute and from a free kick, he assisted Arjen Robben's equalizer in the 88th minute. Higuaín then struck the winning goal two minutes later to clinch Real Madrid's 31st La Liga championship.

Despite being Real Madrid's title hero, Higuaín found himself on the bench for Barcelona's visit to the Santiago Bernabéu four days later. As he had in previous games, however, Higuaín came on to devastating effect, scoring with his first touch within a minute and helped his team to a crushing 4–1 victory.

2008–09 season

On 24 August 2008, Higuaín became Real Madrid's cup hero, scoring in the 89th minute, giving Real Madrid a victory over Valencia CF and its eighth Supercopa de España. After the close of the summer transfer window, Real Madrid revealed that they had turned down a €25 million offer for Higuaín from Juventus. He cemented a starting place in the team's starting eleven after impressing in the preseason, UEFA Champions League, and La Liga.

Higuaín scored all four goals in a 4-3 win against Málaga CF on 8 November 2008. Higuaín also provided two assists in the league match against RCD Mallorca on 11 January 2009. He became recognized for his devastating pace, dribbling, and low, powerful drives. Higuaín finished the season as Real Madrid's top scorer with 22 league goals, and 24 in all competitions.

2009–10 season

On 15 September 2009, Higuaín netted his first Champions League goal when he scored Madrid's third in their 5–2 win over FC Zürich, also providing an assist to Raúl in the same game. Higuaín scored an incredible goal against Real Valladolid on 17 October. After a great through ball by Xabi Alonso, Higuaín chipped the rushing Valladolid keeper to the far post. Higuaín scored two stunning goals against Getafe CF, beating the keeper one-on-one. A week later, he scored Real's third against local rivals Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón. He added another goal to his tally against Racing de Santander in the next round.

On 25 November, Higuaín netted his second Champions League goal against Zürich, scoring the only goal in the match and nearly securing Madrid to advance to the first knockout stage. In Madrid's game against UD Almería on 5 December, Higuaín netted a crucial goal after a decent cross into the box using superb dribbling. He capped off the game with a powerful run down the right wing and provided a low driven cross to Cristiano Ronaldo as Madrid claimed an essential 4–2 win at the Bernabéu.

Higuaín added two more goals to his tally at the Mestalla on 12 December 2009 in a 3–2 victory over Valencia CF, a match in which Real were devoid of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká. Higuaín added yet another two goals this season (bringing his tally to 10) in a match against Real Zaragoza. He scored his first after a brilliant through ball from Marcelo which he slotted past the keeper, his second came with a lovely volley to the far post. Higuaín added another goal against RCD Mallorca at the Bernabéu in their 2–0 win on 10 January 2010, with a superb longshot — however, he picked up an injury in that game that sidelined him for three matches.

He returned to action on 6 February against RCD Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabéu as a substitute in the 74th minute, scoring the third goal in the 90th minute. Higuaín grabbed four more goals, scoring both two against Villarreal CF in their big 6–2 home win, and two in their 5–1 away win over CD Tenerife.

During their 2–1 aggregate defeat to Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League, in the second leg at the Bernabéu, Cristiano Ronaldo gave Real Madrid a early lead and leveling the score to 1–1 on aggregate. In the 25th minute, Real saw Higuaín skip past the Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris from an Esteban Granero through ball and hit the post from 15 yards out.

On 14 March 2010, Higuaín netted his second Real Madrid hat-trick in an emphatic 4–1 away win over Real Valladolid. In the next match, at home, against Sporting Gijon Higuain netted his 20^th league goal making the final result 3-1 in Real's favour.

On 25 March 2010 he netted his 21st and 22nd league goal of the season in a 4-2 win over Getafe.

International career

Higuaín initially rejected calls from both the Argentine and French national teams, specifically a friendly against Greece on 15 November 2006, claiming at the time he was undecided for which country he would prefer to play.

Higuaín's international career was looking set to mirror that of David Trezeguet, whose father was Argentinian, but went on to play successfully for France. When Les Bleus called up Higuaín against Greece, they assigned him the number 20 shirt, the number originally worn by Trezeguet. However, at the beginning of 2007, Higuaín expressed his desire to play for Argentina and decided to declare his natural-born status at the nearest Argentine embassy while being abroad.

In February 2008, Higuaín was called up by Argentina Olympic for a friendly match against Guatemala. He scored two goals in his debut as Argentina won 5–0. And in May 2008, Higuaín played 61 minutes against Catalonia in the other friendly match. Both matches were not officially recognized by FIFA as "A" international matches, and will not count towards his caps and goals in international play.

Higuaín finally got the call for Argentina by coach Diego Maradona for the last two qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Peru and Uruguay. Many in the Argentine media had criticized Diego Maradona for not selecting Higuaín in the past. He scored his first goal on his debut, a 47th minute strike during a 2–1 win over Peru.

On 3 March 2010, Higuaín scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory against Germany in Münich.

Statistics

(correct as of 20 March 2010 )

Club

Club	Season	League			Cup			Continental			Other			Total
		Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
River Plate	2004–05	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
	2005–06	13	5	5	5	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	8	5
	2006–07	18	10	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	19	10	11
	Total	33	15	16	5	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	39	18	16
Real Madrid	2006–07	19	2	3	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	23	2	3
	2007–08	25	8	3	2	1	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	32	9	3
	2008–09	34	22	9	2	1	0	7	0	0	1	1	0	44	24	9
	2009–10	22	22	3	1	0	0	7	2	1	0	0	0	29	24	4
	Total	100	54	18	7	2	0	21	2	1	1	1	0	129	59	19
Career Total		133	69	34	12	5	0	21	2	1	2	1	0	168	77	35

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	10 October 2009	El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Peru	1–0	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.	3 March 2010	Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany	Germany	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Honours

Real Madrid

Domestic

• La Liga

• Winner (2): 2006–07, 2007–08

• Supercopa de España

• Winner (1): 2008

References

14 http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-worldargentina&prov=reuters&type=lgns http://www.gonzalo-higuain.com

External links

• Statistics at Guardian Stats Centre
• Nancy Zacarías' paintings site
• Interview – Superstar in waiting: Higuaín being chased by Real Madrid, two countries Southamericanfutbol.com