Gonzalo Higuain retires: Chelsea striker’s statement in full
Gonzalo Higuain has retired from international football, citing ‘family reasons’ as his motivation.
The 31-year-old, who is currently on loan at Chelsea from Juventus, scored 31 goals in 75 appearances for Argentina, although he hasn’t made an international appearance since a 2-1 win over Nigeria in the 2018 World Cup.
Higuain ends his international career: Five key things to know…
- Higuain is one of just three foreign-born players to have played for Argentina, having also been eligible for France.
- The striker scored twice on his debut during a 5-0 win over Guatemala in 2008.
- The 31-year-old went on to earn 75 senior caps, scoring 31 goals.
- But his international career was marked by a number of high profile misses, including in the 2014 World Cup final defeat to Germany.
- Higuain has cited family reasons for retiring, also suggested fans would be ‘delighted’ by his decision.
Higuain made a high profile miss during Argentina’s 1-0 defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final and it is for these moments that he will most likely be remembered by his compatriots, reflected in his statement where he suggested ‘many’ will delight in his retirement.
Explaining his decision in an interview with Fox Sports, Higuain said: “My time with Argentina is over. Thinking things through in depth, my time is up.
OFFICIAL: Gonzalo Higuain has announced his retirement from international football with Argentina, due to "family reasons." pic.twitter.com/FXiLL5JVsv
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) March 29, 2019
“To the delight of many, now I will only look at it from the outside. I have spoken to (manager Lionel) Scaloni and told him my point of view.
“I’ve made the decision because I want to enjoy my family, I want to spend time with my daughter, and at the same time, I feel that I gave my country everything I could.”
Higuain has been on loan with Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea since January but has managed just three goals in 10 games so far.
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Twitter reacts to Higuain retirement
As eluded to in his statement, many fans are revelling in the news of Higuain’s retirement from duties with Argentina, with many feeling the Albiceleste may finally have a chance of securing a major tournament win without the former Real Madrid man in the side.
Some have even accused Higuain of holding Lionel Messi’s international career back with his misses in crucial matches.
Here are some Twitter reactions to the news:
Finally Argentina will win some trophies this guy costed Argentina the world cup with clear missed chances
— Football Fanatic ⚽ (@NyakambiKwanele) March 29, 2019
Probably cause la familia still blame him for the Argies winning nothing in the last decade and rightly so. He's done Leo Messi a massive disservice
— Niall Mallon (@Mallon7Niall) March 29, 2019
— chad-$torm ?? (@chadtafari) March 29, 2019
Does he miss them too? See what I did there
— Blow (@AlexBlow15) March 29, 2019
Gone for good. Curse is over. Now that snake Di Maria needs to retire too.
— ƦЄƊ ƊЄƔƖԼ (@iganeshmgr) March 29, 2019
