Gonzalo Higuain has completed a record breaking move from Napoli to Serie A champions Juventus.
The Argentine has signed for a whooping £75.3 million, becoming the third most expensive transfer in the history of the modern game after Cristiano Ronaldo [£80 million, 2009] and Gareth Bale [£85.3 million, 2013].
The humongous sum will be paid equally over the course of this and next season.
The 28-year old was in startling form last season, scoring 36 goals to the good as Napoli finished second behind his current club in the Italian top flight.
His performances put him in top contention for the European golden boot alongside the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robert Lewandowski, but the former Real Madrid forward finished second, narrowly losing to Luis Suarez who remarkably scored 40 La Liga goals last season.
Early life
Born Gonzalo Geraldo Higuain on 10 December 2021 in Brest, France, he chose as a young man to follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a footballer himself.
Gonzalo Higuain spent his youth and part of his senior career with River Plate in his ancestral home of Argentine, before taking up dual citizenship in 2007.
He was signed by Spanish giants Real Madrid in the same year, making close to 200 appearances before being sold to Napoli in 2013 after being rendered surplus.
The then 25-year old moved to Serie A amid heavy rumors linking him to Arsenal who were [and still are] in dire need of a Robin van Persie replacement.
Will he live up to the price tag?
Gonzalo Higuain is what you would consider a late bloomer.
He had an eye for goal even in his younger years, but much like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Miroslav Klose, his best numbers have come during the tail end of his career.
With that said, it wouldn’t come off as a surprise if 28-year old Gonzalo Higuain scored 36 goals for the Old Lady of Turin this season.
Nonetheless, £75.3 million is a bit of a stretch…even for 36 goals a season.
Written by Brian Humphrey
Follow Brian on Twitter @brihum
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