Comment: Is It Time For Gonzalo Higuain To Move On?

Playing in the World Cup is a dream for every footballer. It’s a chance none would want to skip which is exactly the case with ‘Pipita’, after his days of indecision whether to play for Argentina or France.

"I see myself playing in the World Cup. I won't let anybody down. It is the dream that I have [to play for Argentina],” the 21 year old was quoted saying having made just a single appearance for the South Americans in an U-23 game against Guatemala.

To play for the national team, one needs to perform at the club level and for that, the player must start most of the games in the season. Last season when Carlos Tevez would spend much of the time warming the bench at Old Trafford or make substitute appearances, there were certain media reports which claimed that Diego Maradona advised the former Boca Juniors striker to move to a club where he could play more often.

With the arrival of Florentino Perez and company at Real Madrid, which was followed by the imminent arrivals of the ‘Galacticos’ in Kaka, Ronaldo and Benzema, Higuain’s chances of being assured of a first team position look slim. Madrid have a host of strikers for now – Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Klass-Jan Huntelaar, Raul Gonzalez, Karim Benzema and also, Alvaro Negredo, apart from Higuain. For sure, at least a couple of them would be sold with the likes of Huntelaar and Negredo being the favourites.

But with the attacking talent Madrid have in their ranks, it seems unlikely that the Argentinean would get as many chances as he did last season where he excelled in the absence of Van Nistelrooy. In the 31 games, of which three appearances as a substitute, Higuain scored 22 goals with three from the spot in the Primera Division. Add to that nine assists. He was one of the brightest spots for the Los Blancos in a season where there was more despair, which was heightened further by Barcelona’s treble.

In a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1 formation, Higuain doesn’t cement a place as, in the former it would either be Benzema  along with Van Nistelrooy or Raul starting while in the second, it could be any of the three. Higuain would once again be restricted to play the role of a ‘super sub’ which he did quite well in the 2007-08 season, coming off the bench to score crucial goals.

If you look at the strikers in Argentine national team – Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Milito, Gonzalo Bergessio, Lisandro Lopez and Carlos Tevez, almost all of the players are automatic starters in their club, with the sole exception of the now ex-Manchester United forward, who decided to move on from Old Trafford for the very same reason.

The Los Merengues top-scorer from last season has promised that he will fight to break into what could be a very expensively assembled first XI.

“The arrival of high quality players will only make me become more motivated,” said the number 20.

In May this year before Maradona announced his squad for the World Cup qualifiers, on being pressed by the journalists on the Higuain status, El Diego said,” Pardon me gentlemen of the press, but the guy calling the shots is me."

But with the Albicelestes finding themselves in the fourth spot in the 2010 World Cup qualification table, things aren’t rosy for Maradona. This could be the best opportunity for Higuain, who is known to make the most of his opportunities as seen last season; with Argentinean strikers not finding the back of the net which has seen them perform poorly in the last few games with losses at the hands of Ecuador and Bolivia.

Even Maradona changed his stance on the Real Madrid player as he recently said,"I do not rule him (Higuain) out anyway."

But for that Higuain needs to start a few games and needs to get his opportunities and going by the current scenario at the Santiago Bernebeu, it looks slender.

The best proposition for Higuain is to move to a club where he would start more often or make the most of whatever little comes his way at Real Madrid. It’s a choice to make which would make or break his dream...

Rahul Bali.

What do you think? Should Higuain stay on at Real Madrid and fight for his place or try move to another club where he would get more opportunities to start and excel, which would help him impress Maradona to earn a call for the 2010 World Cup?