Gonzalo Higuaín life and biography

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 the son of former footballer Jorge "El Pipa" Higuaín.

Gonzalo Higuaín has football in his blood. His dad, Jorge, was a fierce defender who played for some of the greatest clubs in Argentina: Boca, River and San Lorenzo, amongst others. Gonzalo was born in France when his father played for Stade Brest, but he emerged from the River Plate youth system.

At River, he started to show his abilities as a striker, and the offers from Europe started pouring in. Milan, Lazio, Chelsea and Manchester United had all taken note of his scoring ability, but it was Real Madrid who made the best offer.

With the galacticos, his worst fears intially came true. He had no guaranteed starting place in a star-studded starting line-up. He played in the shadows of the eternal Raul, and was also behind Robinho and Ruud van Nistelrooy in the reckoning. But despite the arrivals of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2009, Higuain scored a succession of goals when carving out a key role for Real.

With the national side, Diego Maradona overlooked Higuain until the very end of the World Cup qualifiers. Being French-born, he also was tempted several times to join les Bleus. However, he said on several occasions that his priority was to wear the Argentina jersey. He finally achieved that against Peru, scoring a crucial goal in the South Africa 2010 qualifying campaign.

Strengths: He offers alternatives across the forward line, has great awareness in the box and always steps up when the team needs him.
Weaknesses: He can lack the ruthlessness that a world-class poacher must have.

Career high: Scored the winning goal in a match with Osasuna in the 2007-08 season that decided the championship.
Career low: He initially struggled to win a place with Real Madrid after joining the Spanish side.

Style: A razor-sharp striker who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

Trivia: On December 3, 2006, Higuain faced his brother Federico for the first time. One was playing for River, the other one for Nueva Chicago. The duel was won by the eldest sibling as Chicago won 2-1 and Federico scored a goal.

Quotes: "The truth is that I am happy, I can't measure this with words. I dreamed with this moment. I couldn't ask for more." Higuain on his first call-up to the national team.

Soccernet says: The Argentine national team lacks scoring power, and Gonzalo Higuain has already demonstrated that he has it. Given continuity and confidence, he could become a great alternative for the Argentine attack.

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