The first trophy of Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín's career was the 2006-07 Spanish league title, won with Real Madrid only months after he crossed the Atlantic. Born on 10 December 1987 in Brest, France, where his father, former Argentine footballer Jorge Higuaín, was playing at the time, he was a centre-forward and holds both Argentine and French nationality. He played for River Plate, Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea and Inter Miami, and represented Argentina at three World Cups.
Youth career and River Plate debut
He grew up in Argentina and came through the youth ranks at River Plate. He made his top-flight debut in May 2005 in a 2-1 defeat to Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, under coach Leonardo Astrada. At the Buenos Aires club he played 41 competitive matches and scored 15 goals, 13 of them in the Argentine league. A season and a half was enough for Real Madrid to pay €12 million for him in December 2006.
Seven seasons at Real Madrid
He arrived in Madrid just after turning 19 and in his first half-season he was already celebrating the 2006-07 league title. He won La Liga again in 2007-08 and added the 2008 Spanish Super Cup. For several seasons he shared the attack with Karim Benzema, in a fight for the starting spot that defined his time there. In April 2011 he won the Copa del Rey, and in 2011-12 his third league title, followed by the 2012 Spanish Super Cup. He left with 121 goals in 264 appearances for the club.
Napoli and the 36 goals
Napoli signed him in July 2013 for €40 million. In his first season he lifted the 2013-14 Coppa Italia, and in December 2014 he settled the Italian Super Cup against Juventus, scoring both of Napoli's goals in normal time and converting his kick in the shoot-out. The 2015-16 season was the most prolific of his career: he scored 36 Serie A goals, breaking the mark Gunnar Nordahl had held since 1949-50, and finished as the league's top scorer. In three years in Naples he scored 91 goals in 146 matches.
Juventus, Milan and Chelsea
In July 2016 Juventus paid €90 million to sign him. In his first two seasons in Turin he won the Serie A and Coppa Italia double in 2016-17 and 2017-18, and in June 2017 he played in the Champions League final, lost to Real Madrid in Cardiff. The club named him its player of the season in 2016-17 and 2017-18. In August 2018 he joined AC Milan on loan, and in January 2019 he moved on loan again to Chelsea, winning the 2018-19 Europa League without playing in the final. Back at Juventus, he won the 2019-20 Serie A, his third Scudetto. He finished his spell in Turin with 66 goals in 149 games.
Inter Miami and retirement
In September 2020 he signed for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, where he spent three seasons. He played 70 competitive matches and scored 29 goals, all of them in MLS. In October 2022 he announced his retirement, and his final game came on 17 October 2022, a 3-0 playoff defeat to New York City FC.
Argentina national team
Although born in France, he chose to play for Argentina. He made his senior debut on 10 October 2009 against Peru, scoring in a 2-1 win. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa he hit a hat-trick against South Korea in a 4-1 group-stage victory, and Argentina went out in the quarter-finals. At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil he scored in the quarter-final against Belgium and started the final, which Argentina lost to Germany in extra time. He also lost the finals of the 2015 Copa América and the 2016 Copa América Centenario, both against Chile on penalties; in 2015 he missed his kick. He played his third World Cup in Russia in 2018, where Argentina were knocked out in the round of 16. He ended his international career with 75 caps and 31 goals.
Honours
With Real Madrid he won three Spanish league titles (2006-07, 2007-08 and 2011-12), one Copa del Rey (2010-11) and two Spanish Super Cups (2008 and 2012). With Napoli, the 2013-14 Coppa Italia and the 2014 Italian Super Cup. With Juventus, three Serie A titles (2016-17, 2017-18 and 2019-20) and two Coppa Italia trophies (2016-17 and 2017-18). With Chelsea, the 2018-19 Europa League. Individually, he was Serie A top scorer in 2015-16 with 36 goals.
