Inter Miami striker Gonzalo Higuain is to retire from football at the end of the MLS season, according to the Argentine’s father.
The 34-year-old, who is into his third season with Miami, is out of contract in December.
There had been speculation the former Real Madrid forward would seek a move back to his native Argentina, where he began his career with River Plate, but his father Jorge appears to have put an end to those rumours.
What was said?
Jorge Higuain, himself a former River Plate and Boca Juniors player, told TNT Sports of his son’s future plans: "He is not going back to Argentina. He told me that he is retiring at the end of the year. He is ending this year and is retiring from football.
"I would love for him to continue to be linked to football after playing. He is a boy who knows a lot, who has played in several places, he has everything to succeed. For me it would be an insult if he does not continue in football."
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The bigger picture
If Higuain does decide to call it a day it would bring the curtain down on a glittering career that has seen him play in five countries and win 14 major trophies.
He began his career at River Plate, scoring 15 goals in 29 league games before moving to Real Madrid in December 2006.
Higuain spent seven years with Los Blancos, winning three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup twice before moving to Italy with Napoli and later Juventus.
His three-year spell with the Bianconeri was the more successful of the two, yielding three Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia triumphs, as well as a Champions League runners-up medal.
The striker’s time in Turin was also punctuated by loan spells at AC Milan and Chelsea - where he lifted the Europa League in 2019.
After agreeing to terminate his Juve contract in September 2020, Inter Miami and MLS came calling, where he has scored 14 goals in 43 appearances so far.
At international level Higuain scored 31 goals in 75 games, appearing at three World Cups, including when Argentina finished runners-up to Germany in 2014, and three Copa Americas, with Argentina finishing runners-up twice in 2015 and 2016.
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