Gonzalo Gerardo Higuain l Debut, Retirement, Transfer

  Transfer  

Higuaín began his career with the Argentine club River Plate, before a transfer to Real Madrid in January 2007 for €12 million. His time in Spain watched him win many domestic honors, containing 3 La Liga titles, and score 107 goals in 190 league games.

He played the Italian side of Napoli for €40 million in July 2013, where he won the Coppa Italia at the time of his first season. In the 2015–16 season, he got 36 league goals, winning the Capocannoniere title and leveling Gino Rossetti’s 87-year-old record for goals in an Italian top-flight season.

As a result of his goal-scoring exploits in Naples, Italian champions Juventus contract him for €90 million in 2016, which made him one of the highest football transfers of all-time and highest ever transfer for an Italian club.

He won domestic doubles in his first two seasons with Juventus, also extended the 2017 Champions League final with the club. In 2018, he was loaned to Milan, and later to English side Chelsea in January 2019, where he won the UEFA Europa League, before coming back to Juventus in the summer of that year, summing another Serie A title to his trophy cabinet the following season.

  Debut  

Higuaín played his full international debut for Argentina in 2009; he made an appearance the country at 3 FIFA World Cups and three Copa América tournaments, helping them to second-place finishes at the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa América, and the Copa América Centenario in 2016.

After no longer being called up following Argentina’s round-of-16 exit at the 2018 World Cup, he announced his retirement from international football in March 2019. In total, he earned 75 caps for his nation, scoring 31 goals.

  Retirement  

On 28 March 2019, in an interview with Fox Sports Argentina, Higuaín announced his retirement from international football, commenting: “My era with the Selection is over, now I will be watching the team from the outside, which I’m sure will make many people happy.

I spoke to (Coach Lionel) Scaloni and told him my point of view. This is my decision and I think it will do me good. I want to enjoy more time with my family and I see they suffer when I am so roundly criticized. I am happy with the decision I have made.” In total, he made 75 senior appearances for Argentina, scoring 31 goals.

His final international appearance came in Argentina’s 2–1 win over Nigeria on 26 June 2018, in their final group match of the 2018 World Cup, at the Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg.