Higuain in tears as he announces retirement from football

Former Real Madrid and Juventus striker, Gonzalo Higuain, was in tears as he confirmed he will retire from professional football at the end of the MLS season.

The 34-year-old’s career has seen him grace the top flights in Spain, Italy and England.

Higuain has scored more than 300 times for the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and Napoli, as well as being a regular feature in the Argentina national team.

“After seventeen and a half years of the most wonderful professional career I have ever had, I feel that football has given me a lot, having given everything of myself and more,” he said during an emotional press conference on Monday.

“Thank you very much to those who always trusted me, the time has come to say goodbye.”

Higuain’s decision comes amid a run of fine form, scoring 12 goals in his last 14 games as Phil Neville’s side push for a place in the playoffs. And his final game could come as soon as next Sunday, with Inter yet to confirm their place in the postseason.

The striker started his career with River Plate in Argentina, before joining Real Madrid, winning three league titles in seven seasons. Higuain then enjoyed the best spell of his career with Napoli and in 2015/16 equalled the record for most goals in a Serie A season, plundering 36 games in 35 appearances.

That earned him a move to Juventus for €90million, in what was a record deal between two Italian clubs. Despite scoring 55 times in his first two seasons with the Bianconeri, he was deemed surplus to requirements, spending the 2018/19 campaign out on loan, first with AC Milan and then with Chelsea.

He failed to hit his own high standards in the Premier League, although his record of five goals in 14 appearances represented a decent return. Higuain then made the move Stateside in 2020 joining David Beckham ’s newly formed team in Miami.