Part 4: Top 12 Strikers at the moment
9. Gonzalo Higuain:
Higuain is a player who managed to make a huge impact on all the teams that he played for throughout his career. This young 22-year-old Argentinean has managed to impress football fans from all around the world. While some say that he still lacks the “spark” that is required to be an outstanding player, others have compare him to the legendary striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
Nistelrooy, the Dutch striker, did not really have the ability to run with the ball but the way he was able to finish the ball into the net was simply remarkable. Same is the case with Higuain, only that he can also dribble the ball a little.
The players’ critics always mention the fact that the only reason why Higuain is such a big name at the moment is because of the players that play behind him. The Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo and the Brazilian number 10, Kaka used to play behind him in Real Madrid and many say that players like him might not actually work without such players.
Higuain started his career from a club named River Plate but did not really manage to score too many goals. However, in 2007, the Spanish club Real Madrid thought that the player can make it to their first team and they brought him in. Even though his first season was spent mostly on the bench, but the young Argentinean still managed to score two goals in only 5 starts that he managed to get.
It was obvious that with players like Raul included in the team and with amazing talent already in Real Madrid’s squad, Gonzalo Higuain could not make it to the first team. However, he started being a regular after two years and managed to score 24 goals.
In the next season, Real Madrid bought the French player Karim Benzema and other strikers like Ronaldo and it was expected that the Argentinean would not make it to the first team. However, it was found that Benzema wasn’t working well for the Spanish club so Gonzalo Higuain managed to make a permanent spot in the first team.
The season for Higuain was simply a blast. He managed to score 29 goals in only 39 appearances that he could make but it was a shock for everyone that a player who was considered to be nothing once, was doing wonders with the ball and was scoring a lot of goals for the club.
However, it was observed that the Argentinean did not make a big difference for the team. He relied too much on the back up provided by players such as Ronaldo. Especially with Cristiano Ronaldo on his side, it was easier for him to score goals. Cristiano Ronaldo, the former Player of the Year, used to dribble the ball into the 18 yard box and would pass it on to Higuain so that he can score a goal for the club.
If it was Ronaldo helping Higuain in Real Madrid, it was the world’s best player Lionel Messi who played with him in the FIFA World Cup 2010. Diego Armando Maradona selected a lot of strikers for his side and thought that they are going to score a lot of goals but the team did not really manage to make it to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Gonzalo Higuain was selected for the Argentinean team and he featured as a first team player along with Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi but many criticized the Argentinean coach by stating the fact that he was too young and Diego Milito was a better striker than him.
However, Higuain managed to disprove everyone by score the only hat trick of the tournament. With Lionel Messi playing alongside him, and with a fabulous ball from Sergio Aguero, it was very easy for Gonzalo Higuain to score a hat trick for this international side.
At the age of 22, Higuain has managed to accomplish a lot and he is a player of his kind. Gonzalo Higuain is definitely a player who should be included in the list of the “best strikers at the moment.”
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