Wake up from the nightmare

13 July, 2014. Sunday. I have to be in the office next morning. But everybody in the office knew that I was not sleeping that night, nobody else did, I suppose. It’s the World Cup final in the middle of the night! The one final that gave so many chances for the Argentines to win it, yet somehow, Germany snatched it away. Leo Messi could not lift the cup. A total nightmare. I mean how could you expect me to sleep. Yet, I went to bed, thinking that there is no waking up from this nightmare.

For many, Gonzalo Higuaín is the reason why we did not lift the trophy that night in Maracanã. Imagine Argentina winning a World Cup final in Brazilian soil- nothing could have been sweeter than that.

The hate story for Gonzalo Higuaín started then and there. And, it still lasts for many. Sure, Messi and Palacio also squandered ‘good’ opportunities. But Higuaín would repeat the same feat three times in a row, in three consecutive finals, cementing the belief in many fans’ hearts that he is the reason why we lost three finals. It was way before the redemption phase- the soon to start La Scaloneta. It was a phase of agony- and, the nightmares did not end. There was no waking up after 13 July, 2014.

A bloody love affair

Like my nightmare, football is capable of instilling a range of emotions within us- the fans. The emotions can compel fans to hover around a thin line between fanatism and ephemeral insanity. No wonder, the ‘beautiful’ game has been plagued with violence for long. The status quo in Europe may not suggest so, but take the hooliganism of 1970s in British football as an example. Contrary to Europe, football is still a bloody love fair in many South American countries including Argentina. To put a stop to this, away fans are not allowed in football matches in the Argentine premier league.

Events of physical violence is well documented, but what about psychological violence? Perhaps not that much. Yes, we are talking about online trolls and abusers. A certain level of violence is involved when fans become too passionate to insult and abuse the players. In online social platforms, these thoughts come out unfiltered in the form of hateful comments and bashings. This ordeal has caused a great deal of pain to professional footballs in the recent years. FIFA even offers a service to fight online abuse called Social Media Protection Service (SMPS). It blocked 2.6 million abusive comments across various platforms during the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Gonzalo Higuaín is a textbook example of how online hate can have such a detrimental impact on one’s well being. Higuaín is retired footballer now and understandably he is nowhere to be found on the Internet.

But, let’s first try to unravel Higuaín’s journey.

The ride, not the destination

Higuaín comes from a footballing family. Higuaín’s father, Jorge Higuaín, a professional footballer himself, played in big clubs like San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors, River Plate in Argentina. Little Higuaín was born when Jorge was playing for Stade Brestois 29 (in Brest). Even though he was born in France, he decided to represent Argentina.

Higuaín’s footballing journey started in his neighbourhood club- Club Atlético Palermo. He then joined the mighty River Plate like his father. He actually played in different age groups for River, infantiles, inferiores, the reserve team, before making his debut in 2005 for River Plate in Argentine professional league. He was only 17 years old!

Gonzalo sparked for the Millionaires in a spectacular way. His magic waves travelled across on the other side and the Los Blancos came calling. Mr. Perez brought Higuain when he had Raul, Kaka and all the other stars in the club. Even in the galaxy of stars, Higuaín stood out. Higuaín would end up scoring 121 goals for Madrid in 264 matches.

From Real Madrid, his next move was in Italy. Pipita joined Napoli, a dear place to Argentine football because of Diego Maradona. El Pipita (Higuaín’s nick name) himself was a star there. The Blues embraced Higuaín with open arms. This is the place where he would reach new heights. Higuain netted 36 goals for the Serie-A club in the 2015-16 season as he won the Capocannoniere that year and set a new record.

Napoli fans adored Higuaín. But this affair would not continue, as Higuain joined the rivals Juventus for another challenge. The record transfer benefited Napoli with some 90 million euro though, but the Napoli fans did not care. To them, he was a traitor.

Higuaín played well for The Old Lady too, scoring 66 goals over less than three seasons. During his time at Juve, Higuaín crossed path with Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala. After the 2017-18 season, came the short loan spells at AC Milan, Chelsea, but nothing worked out. This was early indication that his time in European football was limited.

In 2020, Higuaín joined Beckham’s Inter Miami. He would end his career in Florida.

In the albiceleste colours

Higuaín is an anti-hero for many Albiceleste fans, not only in Argentina but across the world. He is perceived to be the reason why Messi and Argentina could not win three straight finals. In all three finals, Higuaín was in a position to score, fairly easily against his standards. Yet, he could not convert them. Had he taken those chances and had Argentina won those finals, he would have been remembered as a Legend. It is nothing but unfair to pin those losses only on Higuaín, but fans need someone who they can blame, a valve that can release the fierce pressure of years’ piled up emotions.

The Higuain bashing went on for sometime, and somehow it made him a different person. In his own words to GOAL.com,

“This criticism and the disrespect, you’re not able to react and that’s something that most people don’t understand, just how difficult that is.”

Higuaín scored 31 times in 75 matches for the Argentina National Football Team. He tried to redeem himself one last time in 2018 World Cup in Russia, but a rather disjointed team was knocked out by the ultimate champion France. Higuaín did not continue, and Argentina was about to enter its new Golden Era (La Scaloneta). Haters can argue that it got better only because he was not there. Higuaín addressed this gracefully,

“You could win or you could lose and, for us, we were fortunate to be able to play three finals and, unfortunately, we lost them. When I left the national team, they made this final at the Copa America and I was very happy.”

Remember me

There can be little argument that Higuaín was a world class striker. You can even say that he was a complete striker for Argentina since Batistuta and Crespo. If you compare him to his contemporaries like Zlatan Ibrahimovic (467 goals), Sergio Aguero (323 goals),  he is definitely up there. Of course, many who played in Higuaín’s time, is still playing the game.  

The only thing that is beyond doubt is Higuaín was a baller. There is an underlying theme in the Internet that Higuaín is respected by some but not beloved. It may be the case, I don’t know the feeling of all the people. But for me personally, he was part of a generation that tried so hard, but yet failed for an inch. I will have a soft spot for all of them, including Higuaín who just may be the unluckiest of them all.

It’s easy to remember him only for his three infamous misses, but I do not agree that that should be the case. I believe in hindsight, people will come to appreciate him more, and even love him.

Higuaín too wants you to remember in a different way. In his open letter while announcing his retirement, he wrote elegantly how he want us to remember him. As he bowed out, he said in an interview as an Inter Miami striker,

“I take with me the people I’ve gotten to know, the values that I know and I try to go beyond what I achieved in my career. I want to be remembered as a human more than what I’ve been as a player.”

Resources used:

1. “I lived in an unnatural way” – Gonzalo Higuain confesses about the horror he experienced when he was a high-level footballer, telegrafi, date: n.a.
2. The complicated image of Gonzalo Higuaín, and how he found peace in MLS, Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, October 6,2022.
3. ‘I don’t feel any shame’ – Gonzalo Higuain and the toxic world of football, Ryan Tolmich, GOAL.com, October 7, 2022.
4. Gonzalo Higuain: Remember me “as a human,” not just a striker, Tom Bogert, MLSSoccer.com, October 4, 2022.
5. Paddy Agnew’s Notes from Italy: Gonzalo Higuain sparkles brightest in season finale, World Soccer, 10 May, 2016.
6. Gonzalo Higuaín, Wikipedia.
7. FIFA reinforces commitment to fight online abuse, INSIDE FIFA, 18 June, 2024.
8. An Open Letter From Gonzalo Higuaín, MLS, October 3, 2022.

Photo sources:

In order of appearance-

1. By Кирилл Венедиктов – https://www.soccer.ru/galery/1055457/photo/733440, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70276734
2. By Danilo Borges/copa2014.gov.br Licença Creative Commons Atribuição 3.0 Brasil – http://www.copa2014.gov.br/en/noticia/gotze-scores-decisive-extra-time-strike-earns-germany-fourth-world-cup-titl2, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33984369
3. By Football.ua, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40631922