Gonzalo Higuaín

Gonzalo Higuaín, the prolific football striker, was born in Brest, France, in 1987. At the time he was born, his father, who is a former soccer player, was playing as a defender for the French club ‘Stade Brestois 290. He had gained popularity while playing for Argentine team 'River Plate'. Besides his love for football, Gonzalo inherited his father's nickname. He is know as "Pipita", while his father's nickname was "Pipa".

Though he started playing as a kid in well-known Argentine club 'River Plate' Higuaín's debut came in 2005 in a match against another local club, 'Gimnasia y Esgrima'. His breakthrough was when he scored the first goal with 'River Plate', during the 'Torneo Apertura' (a short tournament that, together with the 'Torneo Clausura', was part of the Argentine First Division Championship between 1991 and 2012).

International career

After his amazing performance in 'River Plate', he was transferred to Spanish 'Real Madrid' for a  €12 million fee, and debuted in January 2007 against 'Real Betis', during the 'Copa del Rey' tournament. His elegant ball-handling and his striking ability worked their magic when Gonzalo scored his first goal for the 'Real Madrid', against 'Atlético Madrid', during the 2006/07 season.

His performance with the Spanish club was outstanding, being key in the team winning three 'La Liga' titles, and scoring 107 goals in 190 matches. The club extended his contract until 2016, but in January 2011 Higuaín had to undergo surgery to fix a herniated lumbar disc, and was kept away from the field for almost four months. In his comeback he scored against 'Valencia'.

After seven prolific years with the Spanish team, in 2013 Gonzalo Higuaín confirmed he was leaving to Italian ‘Napoli’. His debut was in a match against 'Bologna', and Gonzalo Higuain had a fantastic first season with the club, becoming the team's leading scorer with 17 goals in 32 games.  During his time at 'Napoli' the squad won the 'Coppa Italia' as well as the 'Supercoppa di Lega', after defeating 'Juventus'. In the 2015/16 season, he broke the record for most goals in a 'Serie A' tournament, becoming the leading scorer with 36 goals. 

He was transferred for €90 million to ‘Juventus’ in the 2016/17 season. During his time with the Italian club, he scored 66 goals in 149 matches and helped the club achieve five titles. In between, he was loaned to 'Chelsea' and 'AC Milan'. Higuain is currently playing in the US for Major League Soccer club 'Inter Miami'.

Facts about Gonzalo Higuaín you may not know