Football: Gonzalo Higuain will hang up at the end of the year

“

” has come for Gonzalo Higuain.

At 34, 35 on December 10, the Argentinian international striker (75 caps, 31 goals) announced on Monday that he will hang up his crampons at the end of the season and the year, he who wears the colors of Inter Miami since 2020. A press conference during which the native of Brest, whom Raymond Domenech once thought of repatriating to the France team, struggled to hide his emotion.

Fifth top scorer in the Argentine team, behind Leo Messi (90 goals), Gabriel Batistuta (55), Sergio Aguero (41) and Hernan Crespo (35) but ahead of Diego Maradona (29), Higuain made his mark at River Plate (15 goals in 41 matches) before, very early on, crossing the Atlantic to reach Europe and Real Madrid.

He wore the immaculate tunic of the Castilian club from 2007 to 2013, with 121 goals in 264 matches, before making the heyday of Naples (91 goals in 146 matches, 2013-16) and being transferred to the Juventus for €90m (66 goals in 149 matches, 2016-20).

He was then loaned to AC Milan (8 goals in 22 matches, 2018-19) and Chelsea (5 goals in 18 matches, 2019) before heading to MLS and Miami, where he shook the nets 27 times in 67 appearances.

So near, so far with Argentina

To his credit, three Spanish league titles with Real (2007, 2008, 2012), as many in Italy under the colors of Juve (2017, 2018, 2020), a Europa League with Chelsea (2019) and several cups national too, with Real always (2011), Naples (2014) or the Old Lady (2017, 2018), and a handful of supercups.

Higuain was also Serie A top scorer at the end of the 2015-16 season with no less than 36 goals.

Nothing with the Albiceleste on the other hand, even if it did not go far.

He featured in Copa America final defeats in 2015 and 2016, on penalties and against Chile each time.

In 2014, "Pipita" and his teammates gave in after extra time in the World Cup final against Germany (0-1 ap).

So near, so far...

It remains to be seen when Gonzalo Higuain will definitely hang up.

It will depend on the course of Inter Miami.

The Florida club currently occupies seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, the last to qualify for the play-offs.

Higuain and company still have two regular season games to play, a derby against Orlando on Thursday and a duel against Montreal on Sunday.

SEE ALSO

- Football: Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of PSG, at the heart of disturbing revelations