Inter Miami CF forward Gonzalo Higuaín announced today that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2022 MLS season. The Argentine’s stellar 17-and-a-half-year career saw him feature in the top divisions of Italy, Spain and England for several of the world’s most famous clubs, as well as the Argentinian national team, compiling a glittering record of over 300 goals and over 100 assists across more than 700 appearances. Higuaín will close his remarkable career in outstanding form with Inter Miami, registering 12 goals and two assists in the last 14 games, and is aiming to continue this positive momentum to take the team to the playoffs and beyond.
Higuaín will lead Inter Miami in his final regular season home matches at DRV PNK Stadium this week, first when the team hosts Orlando City SC on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. ET. Then, he will close his final regular season with a Decision Day matchup against Eastern Conference two-seed CF Montréal on Sunday. Oct. 9 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Don’t miss what could be your final chances to see the legendary striker in action! Secure your tickets to the final two regular season home matches HERE.
The forward’s extensive list of career accolades also consists of a number of individual recognitions, including being named to the Serie A Team of the Year three times, UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season twice and Juventus Player of the Year twice. He famously netted 36 league goals during the 2015-16 Serie A campaign, a competition record for a single season. Higuaín also captured three LaLiga titles, three Serie A titles, a UEFA Europa League title, a Copa del Rey title, and three Coppa Italia titles, among others.
On the international stage, Higuaín starred for the Argentinian national team. The forward made 75 appearances for La Albiceleste and scored 31 goals across all competitions, the fifth-most of any player in the country’s history. He appeared in matches at three editions of the FIFA World Cup, including leading them to the 2014 final. He also appeared in three Copa América tournaments, helping Argentina reach the final twice.
At the club level, Higuaín signed for Inter Miami as a Designated Player on Sept. 18, 2020 before going on to make 64 appearances, 54 of them starts, and tallying 26 goals and 14 assists in MLS action thus far. He led the team in scoring in 2021 with 12 goals, and is on pace to lead the team once again with 14 goals scored this season. He’ll have chances to expand on his record through the remainder of the campaign.
With Inter Miami, Higuaín was also reunited with his older brother Federico, who retired as an Inter Miami player following the 2021 season. The two shared the pitch 25 times with the club, making history along the way. They became just the 18th pair of brothers to play together in MLS, and the first pair of brothers to score in the same MLS match, doing so on April 24, 2021 in a victory over the Philadelphia Union. The brothers replicated the feat on Oct. 23, 2021 when they each scored in a victory over FC Cincinnati, marking just the third occurrence of the accomplishment in MLS history.
Before joining Inter Miami, the French-Argentinian dual citizen forward featured for Juventus for three seasons, joining the club in July 2016. He helped the team win the Serie A title in all three of his full seasons with the club in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2019-20. He also lifted the Coppa Italia title twice, guided the team to a UEFA Champions League final in 2017, and was named the team’s Player of the Year twice. From his debut with the team to his departure, Higuaín was Juventus’ second-highest scorer in all competitions. Overall, he made 149 appearances for the team, registering 66 goals and 16 assists across all competitions for the Bianconeri.
Higuaín spent the 2018-19 season on loan at two prestigious European clubs, first with A.C. Milan in Italy and then with Chelsea FC in England. With Milan, the forward featured in 22 matches, totaling eight goals and three assists. With Chelsea, he made 18 appearances, scored five goals and helped the team win the UEFA Europa League title.
Prior to joining Juventus in 2016, Higuaín spent three seasons with Napoli in Italy. With the Azzurri, he helped the team win the 2013-14 Coppa Italia and 2014 Supercoppa Italiana. He made 146 appearances for Napoli and tallied an impressive 91 goals, the eighth most in club history. The forward also had a record-breaking 2015-16 campaign in which he scored 36 Serie A goals, the most by a player in a single season. In total, he also registered 26 assists for the club.
From 2006 to 2013, Higuaín starred for Real Madrid CF in Spain. There he helped guide Los Blancos to an era of success, including three LaLiga titles, one Copa del Rey and two Supercopa de España titles. At the club, he registered a robust total of 264 appearances, 121 goals and 56 assists. His 121 goals make him the 11th highest scorer in the club’s history.
The forward began his career in his native Argentina with Club Atlético River Plate prior to joining Real Madrid. He made his professional debut for Los Millonarios in May 2005 and went on to score 15 goals for the team in 33 appearances across three seasons.
COURTESY INTER MIAMI CF COMMUNICATIONS
