Gonzalo Higuaín
Gonzalo Higuaín has been the scorer of some important goals for Real Madrid. His first came in the derby against Atletico Madrid, his first home goal against Espanyol in climax of the 2006/2007 season and most recently the goal against Osasuna in the 2007/2008 season that stole the title from their arch rivals Barcelona. Higuaín has touched the hearts of all at the Santiago Bernabéu but those ‘one-off’ shows of admiration can only last so long in the minds of what can be only described as an agitated and fickle crowd – especially when trying to live up to fellow team mate – Raul Gonzalez.
The early signs are good though – he’s used the form of the end of last season to his advantage and in the absence of the injured Van Nistelrooy he has taken a step up. His physical side has improved dramatically. He’s strong, powerful and quick, but at the same time has a great touch and has recently been ruthless in front of goal – becoming Real Madrid’s top goalscorer so far this season. This description may make Higuaín sound like the perfect striker – something he is not yet – but has the potential to be.
In recent times Argentinian strikers have come in two moulds. The Batistuta mould – strong, powerful, good in the air – a real striker. Similar strikers include Crespo, Cavenaghi, Denis of Napoli. The second mould – Lionel Messi, – very quick, extremely skillful, unpredictable and very exciting. Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Ezequiel Lavezzi again spring to mind.
So where does Higuaín fit in? The answer is, at the moment he doesn’t. Higuaín is an 8 out of 10 at just about everything, but a master at nothing. You could argue his age still allows him to find his niche, but Messi and Aguero were already defined football players in their teens. There’s no doubt that Higuaín will continue to shine in Madrid – Raul has only a limited time left, Van Nistelrooy the wrong side of 30 and Higuaín’s stock is certainly higher than that of Huntlaar.
To become a top class player however he must become irreplaceable at club level and to do this he has to have a successful international career. Higuaín recently turned down playing for France and gained Argentinian citizenship. Maradona’s new regime has seen the consolidation of playing players such as Tevez, Messi and Aguero up front. Should Maradona need to switch to Plan B there may be a case for Higuaín maybe France would be a better option. Thierry Henry is still a regular starter for France but he’s not the player that left London 18 months ago. Trezeguet has not been in Domenech’s plans for a long time now which leaves only Anelka and Benzema who possess world class attributes.
Whatever the decision Higuaín makes it could be vital to his success as a world class football player. Sometimes the decision can be made from the heart, but this one surely has to be made with the head – over to you Gonzalo.
Written by Steven Jones
