Gonzalo Higuain wept as the Argentine striker announced he will retire from professional football at the end of the MLS season.
The 34-year-old, whose career has seen him grace the top flights in Spain, Italy and England, will hang up his boots at the conclusion of Inter Miami’s campaign. Higuain has scored more than 300 times for the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and Napoli, as well as being a regular feature in the Argentina national team.
"After seventeen and a half years of the most wonderful professional career I have ever had, I feel that football has given me a lot, having given everything of myself and more,” he said during an emotional press conference on Monday.
"Thank you very much to those who always trusted me, the time has come to say goodbye.”
Higuain’s decision comes amid a run of fine form, scoring 12 goals in his last 14 games as Phil Neville’s side push for a place in the playoffs. And his final game could come as soon as next Sunday, with Inter yet to confirm their place in the postseason.
The striker started his career with River Plate in Argentina, before joining Real Madrid, winning three league titles in seven seasons. Higuain then enjoyed the best spell of his career with Napoli and in 2015/16 equalled the record for most goals in a Serie A season, plundering 36 games in 35 appearances.
That earned him a move to Juventus for €90million, in what was a record deal between two Italian clubs. Despite scoring 55 times in his first two seasons with the Bianconeri, he was deemed surplus to requirements, spending the 2018/19 campaign out on loan, first with AC Milan and then with Chelsea.
He failed to hit his own high standards in the Premier League, although his record of five goals in 14 appearances represented a decent return. Higuain then made the move Stateside in 2020 joining David Beckham ’s newly formed team in Miami.
Neville has worked closely with Higuain in recent years and after the announcement spoke in glowing terms about his influence at the club. “You always have these preconceived ideas about players and centre forwards don’t tend to be coaches in the game. Centre forwards are very individual, selfish and worry about themselves because they have to have that single mindedness," he explained.
“With Gonzalo, when I came in, I thought he wouldn’t be a student of the game and someone with great tactical knowledge or the thirst to get involved on the tactical side of it. But he’s been fantastic. I sat down and spoke with him about set plays, about a quarter of the way through the first season and that was a real eye opener.
“When you think about the experience that he’s gained from the best coaches in the world, he’s got a wealth of knowledge and you have to tap into that and we did. He’s helped us and we’ve helped him, he’s without doubt one of the best finishers I’ve ever seen, worked with or played with, 100 per cent.”
And Higuain’s decision comes just 48 hours after admitting he was in his best headspace since joining the club, enjoying one of the best moments in his career. “This is the best form I’ve been in since I arrived at the Club,” he said, after scoring the winner vs Toronto FC.
“I’m enjoying it, really happy to be able to help the team. It’s been a difficult year for me but all the work has its reward…I feel like I’m in one of the happiest moments of my career.”
Inter face Orlando City in the early hours of Thursday morning, before taking on Montral next weekend in what could be the final appearance of his glittering career. Neville’s side currently occupy the final playoff place and could still finish anywhere between fourth and ninth in the Eastern Conference.
