Gonzalo Higuain has already gone some way towards repaying the €90 million that Juventus forked out to lure the Argentine away from Italian rivals Napoli. Higuain entered in the 66th minute of Juve’s opening Serie A match against Fiorentina. With the score level at 1-1, Higuain made the difference with his third touch of the match.
GOOOALLLL!!!! @G_Higuain with the tiebreaker. WHAT A WAY TO MAKE A DEBUT! #beINSPORTS https://t.co/gsLEYT18oC
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) August 20, 2016
That goal would ultimately seperate the sides, Juventus triumphing 2-1 in Turin. While Higuain started on the bench with Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri admitting that the striker is “not in shape yet”, Higuain demonstrated that his goalscoring ability isn’t hindered by the presence of a few extra pounds.
After scoring 36 goals in 35 Serie A matches for Napoli last year, Higuain is already off the mark for Juve.
“They say I’m fat? It’s best if they keep on saying that, then I’ll score goals in every game,” said Higuain after the match.
“Say what you want about my physical appearance but I’m feeling good and I’m delighted with this first goal which decided our first game. I’ve been in training for 20 days and I know I can improve my shape, but I never had any doubts about myself.”
Previously, Napoli fans had responded to photos of a clearly overweight Higuain in a preseason friendly against West Ham by making mannequins for Higuain’s Juventus jersey look correspondingly portly.
While Higuain still appears to be rounding into his best shape, all signs point to another big year for the 28-year-old.
When you think a hug is over... but it isn't! pic.twitter.com/3hp6CuW9th
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) August 22, 2016
Having won the Scudetto for five straight seasons, Juventus are the clear favorites for this year’s title. Juve return to action on Saturday against Lazio.
(H/T: ESPN FC)
Follow me on Twitter: @ConmanFleming
