Gonzalo Higuaín jumped onto the world football stage after being named Breakthrough Player on Argentina’s 2006 Torneo Apertura. “Pipita” is known for his speed in the last third of the pitch, his great striking ability, and his precisionpassing. Quick, elegant, and a knack for decision-making make Higuaín a fashionable forward in today’s world of football.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Higuaín scored his first goal as Madridista against Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderón Stadium in 2006/07. His propensity for scoring in derbies dates back to his first Boca-River clash, when he led Los Millonarios to victory with a stunning brace. During his first year with Real Madrid he was criticised for rushing his shots on goal, but his few successful finishes were worth their weight in gold; Higuaín netted the game winner in the team’s amazing 4-3 comeback against Espanyol and lit a spark under his teammates in the season-closer against Mallorca.

“People criticise me for not scoring goals,” says the player now, “But every striker has his ups and downs. Scoring is something you also have to work hard on. I’m going to be more patient because last year I missed many chances by being rushing too much.” Whether he plays close to the six-yard box or along the right wing, Higuaín has what it takes to be a goal-scoring machine.

Gonzalo Gerardo “El Pipita” Higuaín (born December 10, 1987 in Brest, France) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Real Madrid and the Argentine national team.

Higuaín currently plays as either a lone striker, a second striker as part of a 2 man attack, or as a winger on the right of a 3 man attack. He is renowned for his devastating pace, dribbling, and low, powerful drives.

Gonzalo Higuaín was born in France while his father, professional Argentine footballer Jorge Higuaín, was playing for Stade Brest 29, at that time in the French Ligue 1. Having left the country at the age of 10 months, he did not return to France until the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Even though he does not speak French, he holds a French passport, because his father was naturalized French. But in January 2007, he successfully applied for the Argentine nationality.

He is the younger brother of Federico Higuaín, who plays football for Independiente.

RIVER PLATE

Following his double strike in the Major football rivalries Boca Juniors vs River Plate local derby against Boca Juniors, Club Atlético River Plate manager Daniel Passarella declared that he had an ‘enormous future’ and was ‘destined for superstardom’.

Touted by many as a star of the future, he attracted the interest of several big clubs such as A.C. Milan, S.S. Lazio, Manchester United F.C. and Chelsea F.C.. After Real Madrid C.F. capture of another South American starlet, Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior, rumours were mounting that Higuaín and Fernando Ruben Gago of Boca Juniors would be signing for the Whites in the future.

REAL MADRID

2006/2007

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 from Real.

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 Madrid has noticed me.”

Higuaín’s first game for Real Madrid was against Real Zaragoza at home. Higuaín shone by creating several chances and delivering the assist which resulted in 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 February 24 2007. His first home goal for Real Madrid came in the dying minutes of Real’s crucial encounter with Espanyol on May 12 2007. With the match tied at 3-3, Higuaín won the ball with a sliding tackle before exchanging a one-two with Jose Antonio Reyes and slotting the ball into the net. It was this goal which enabled Real Madrid to overtake rivals Barcelona into first place and propelled them to their 30th League Title.

2007/2008

On May 4, 2008, with Real Madrid down 1-0 against Osasuna, and needing just 3 points from their final fours games, Higuaín came on for Saviola in the 67th minute and from a free kick, 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 and has now become a new idol for Real Madrid fans.

Despite being Real Madrid’s title hero, Higuain found himself on the bench for Barcelona’s visit to the Bernabeu four days later. However, as he had in previous games, Higuain came on to devastating effect, scoring with his first touch within a minute and helped his team to a crushing 4-1 victory.

2008/2009

On August 24, 2008 he became Real Madrid’s cup hero, scoring in the 89th minute, giving Real Madrid a victory over Valencia CF and it’s eighth Supercopa de España. After the close of the summer transfer window, Real Madrid revealed that they have turned down a €25 million offer for Higuain from Zenit St. Petersburg.

Higuaín initially rejected calls from both the Argentine under 20s and French national teams, specifically a friendly against Greece national football team, November 15 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 Trézéguet, whose father was Argentinian, but went on to play successfully for France. When Les Bleus called up Higuaín against Greece, they assigned him the shirt number 20, the number originally worn by Trézéguet. He was dubbed the new “David Trézéguet”. Nevertheless, at the beginning of 2007 Higuaín expressed his desire to play for Argentina, and started the procedures to obtain Argentine citizenship.

In February 2008, Higuaín was called up by the Argentina national football team, for a friendly match against Guatemala. He scored two goals in his debut and Argentina won 5 : 0. Unfortunately, it was not officially recognized as FIFA as an “A” international match, and will not count towards his caps and goals in international play.

Gonzalo Higuaín jumped onto the world football stage after being named Breakthrough Player on Argentina’s 2006 Torneo Apertura. “Pipita” is known for his speed in the last third of the pitch, his great striking ability, and his precisionpassing. Quick, elegant, and a knack for decision-making make Higuaín a fashionable forward in today’s world of football.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Higuaín scored his first goal as Madridista against Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderón Stadium in 2006/07. His propensity for scoring in derbies dates back to his first Boca-River clash, when he led Los Millonarios to victory with a stunning brace. During his first year with Real Madrid he was criticised for rushing his shots on goal, but his few successful finishes were worth their weight in gold; Higuaín netted the game winner in the team’s amazing 4-3 comeback against Espanyol and lit a spark under his teammates in the season-closer against Mallorca.

“People criticise me for not scoring goals,” says the player now, “But every striker has his ups and downs. Scoring is something you also have to work hard on. I’m going to be more patient because last year I missed many chances by being rushing too much.” Whether he plays close to the six-yard box or along the right wing, Higuaín has what it takes to be a goal-scoring machine.

Gonzalo Gerardo “El Pipita” Higuaín (born December 10, 1987 in Brest, France) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Real Madrid and the Argentine national team.

Higuaín currently plays as either a lone striker, a second striker as part of a 2 man attack, or as a winger on the right of a 3 man attack. He is renowned for his devastating pace, dribbling, and low, powerful drives.

Gonzalo Higuaín was born in France while his father, professional Argentine footballer Jorge Higuaín, was playing for Stade Brest 29, at that time in the French Ligue 1. Having left the country at the age of 10 months, he did not return to France until the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Even though he does not speak French, he holds a French passport, because his father was naturalized French. But in January 2007, he successfully applied for the Argentine nationality.

He is the younger brother of Federico Higuaín, who plays football for Independiente.

RIVER PLATE

Following his double strike in the Major football rivalries Boca Juniors vs River Plate local derby against Boca Juniors, Club Atlético River Plate manager Daniel Passarella declared that he had an ‘enormous future’ and was ‘destined for superstardom’.

Touted by many as a star of the future, he attracted the interest of several big clubs such as A.C. Milan, S.S. Lazio, Manchester United F.C. and Chelsea F.C.. After Real Madrid C.F. capture of another South American starlet, Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior, rumours were mounting that Higuaín and Fernando Ruben Gago of Boca Juniors would be signing for the Whites in the future.

REAL MADRID

2006/2007

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 from Real.

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 Madrid has noticed me.”

Higuaín’s first game for Real Madrid was against Real Zaragoza at home. Higuaín shone by creating several chances and delivering the assist which resulted in 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 February 24 2007. His first home goal for Real Madrid came in the dying minutes of Real’s crucial encounter with Espanyol on May 12 2007. With the match tied at 3-3, Higuaín won the ball with a sliding tackle before exchanging a one-two with Jose Antonio Reyes and slotting the ball into the net. It was this goal which enabled Real Madrid to overtake rivals Barcelona into first place and propelled them to their 30th League Title.

2007/2008

On May 4, 2008, with Real Madrid down 1-0 against Osasuna, and needing just 3 points from their final fours games, Higuaín came on for Saviola in the 67th minute and from a free kick, 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 and has now become a new idol for Real Madrid fans.

Despite being Real Madrid’s title hero, Higuain found himself on the bench for Barcelona’s visit to the Bernabeu four days later. However, as he had in previous games, Higuain came on to devastating effect, scoring with his first touch within a minute and helped his team to a crushing 4-1 victory.

2008/2009

On August 24, 2008 he became Real Madrid’s cup hero, scoring in the 89th minute, giving Real Madrid a victory over Valencia CF and it’s eighth Supercopa de España. After the close of the summer transfer window, Real Madrid revealed that they have turned down a €25 million offer for Higuain from Zenit St. Petersburg.

Higuaín initially rejected calls from both the Argentine under 20s and French national teams, specifically a friendly against Greece national football team, November 15 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 Trézéguet, whose father was Argentinian, but went on to play successfully for France. When Les Bleus called up Higuaín against Greece, they assigned him the shirt number 20, the number originally worn by Trézéguet. He was dubbed the new “David Trézéguet”. Nevertheless, at the beginning of 2007 Higuaín expressed his desire to play for Argentina, and started the procedures to obtain Argentine citizenship.

In February 2008, Higuaín was called up by the Argentina national football team, for a friendly match against Guatemala. He scored two goals in his debut and Argentina won 5 : 0. Unfortunately, it was not officially recognized as FIFA as an “A” international match, and will not count towards his caps and goals in international play.