Gonzalo Higuain: a tribute to El Pipita

In May 2007, Real Madrid played Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu. The score was 3-3 and the game was all but over, as were Real Madrid’s title hopes. It was then that Higuain delivered one of the most memorable goals in Real Madrid’s recent history to keep their title hopes alive.

The 90th minute winner was Higuain’s first goal at the Santiago Bernabeu, and is still remembered fondly by every Madridista who watched that game whether at the stadium or on television. The goal showed all of Higuain’s four best attributes – his unwillingness to give up, work rate, intelligent running and clinical finishing. Under immense pressure, Higuain scored the goal that brought the Bernabeu to its feet in a way that no goal since has. Ruud Van Nistelrooy, one of the finest strikers of his generation, spent a good thirty seconds holding Higuain’s shirt aloft and displaying it to the crowd, as if to say “my successor has arrived”.

Indeed, Van Nistelrooy played a huge role in Higuain’s development, mentoring the young striker and giving him the confidence he needed to succeed in the pressure-cooker environment of the Santiago Bernabeu.

“Ruud told me that goals are like ketchup. Sometimes as much as you try, nothing comes out. Then it comes out all at once.”- Gonzalo Higuain

That goal wasn’t the only crucial one scored by Higuain in the final weeks of La Liga. He also scored this equally dramatic winner against Getafe, also in the 90th minute. Fast forward to 3:15 in the video.

In 2008-09, Higuain’s proverbial ketchup bottle well and truly exploded. Despite the summer arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema, it was Higuain who was the club’s top scorer that season. Ironically, it was an injury to Van Nistelrooy that led to Higuain becoming a first XI player. Van Nistelrooy never regained his starting position, and left the club after that season.

Fast forward to 2011-12, Higuain’s second season under Jose Mourinho. El Pipita scored 22 league goals and played a vital role as Real Madrid romped to the La Liga title, setting a points record of 100 (equalled by Barcelona this season).

However, all was not well. Despite his heroics in La Liga, Higuain was admittedly very disappointing in the Champions League, fluffing important goalscoring chances in several key Champions League games over the seasons. During the 2011-12 season, Mourinho more often than not selected Benzema ahead of Higuain in Champions League games. El Pipita was stung by this, and by the unfair amount of criticism that was leveled at him. Indeed, he never felt fully appreciated by the club’s top brass. Despite Mourinho saying that “only a stupid coach would sell Higuain”, speculation was rife that the Argentine would ask to leave in the summer.

However, following Real Madrid’s final league game of the season and the celebrations that followed, the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu made it clear that they wanted Higuain to stay. I was one of the 80,000 fans at the stadium who yelled themselves hoarse calling for Higuain to stay as he joined his victorious teammates in the middle of the field during the post-match celebrations.