Ghosts of Maracana fuelling Higuain’s pursuit of final glory
THERE is a moment when the laughter stops and Gonzalo Higuain’s demeanour changes. Juventus’s star striker has been holding court to preview the biggest game of his club career, a potentially history-making collision with Real Madrid in tomorrow’s Champions League final, when the subject changes to the biggest game he has played in his life: the 2014 World Cup final. ‘I’ll just say if I play a final like that, don’t come to ask me for an interview,’ Higuain replies curtly. This particular topic has, though, been raised for a reason. Higuain is one of the top strikers in world football, a barrel-chested scorer of goals, but he is aware there are questions he must answer in games of this magnitude and it all stems from Argentina’s clash with Germany in Rio de Janeiro. Higuain is a confidence player: when his levels are up, it doesn’t matter whether a chance arrives on his left or right foot or in the air, the result will be the same. When doubt creeps in, however, belief seeps away and the actions that usually come naturally are impossible to complete. In the days before they faced Germany, Argentina’s players noticed that the faltering version of Higuain had emerged. In an attempt to lift his spirits, Rafa Benitez — then his club manager at Napoli — sent a succession of text messages, telling him not to be daunted by the occasion. Things, however, did not go according to plan. He had a chance to win the greatest prize but could not get the better of Manuel Neuer and the miss enabled Germany to become world champions; the abruptness of his words shows that the scarring from that night in the Maracana remains. Yet the Higuain that stands before us has arguably never been better than he is at present. He was electric in practice at the beginning of the week and heads to Cardiff having collected two medals — Serie A and the Coppa Italia — and scored 24 goals since his €90million (£78m) move from Naples to Turin. One more against his old club and history beckons. Juventus’s desire to win the Champions League borders on a crusade but the ambition has been complicated by the identity of the opponents: Real, the ultimate European Cup team. They were the ones who gave Higuain a pathway to Europe, signing him for €12m from River Plate when he was a teenager in 2006, but they had no hesitation selling him to Napoli when the chance arose in 2013 after there had been overtures from Arsenal. ‘I’ve been playing football for 11 years in Europe,’ Higuain says. ‘So I know how to control my emotions pretty well. Certain
moments are more difficult than others, but I am used to that, so let’s just hope we can make history. ‘We’re one step away so let’s hope that we do it. This year football put me up against my two former clubs (Juventus played Napoli in the Coppa Italia semi-final) in decisive matches. ‘There’s always a special taste to a match like that. But in football my job is to defend the team who have put their faith in me at this moment in time. ‘I know this will be strange and I know it will be a complicated game. I haven’t spoken to any of my old team-mates, but clearly I have a great affection for Madrid but my greatest responsibility is to help Juventus to win as many titles as possible. We’re one step away from doing that.’ And this is what is driving Higuain on, a chance to change his and his club’s history. Juventus have lost four Champions League finals since their last success in 1996, Higuain has felt responsibility for the losses Argentina suffered in 2014 and two subsequent Copa America finals. Here, then, is a chance to write a story with a happy ending, an opportunity to show that €90m price-tag was more than just a guarantee that Juventus would win Serie A. This is his chance to be remembered forever. ‘I hope, like all of us, for a hard and beautiful final,’ said Higuain. ‘When we saw each other for the first time all together in August, standing with this season and this team in front of us we knew we could have a magnificent year. ‘When I came here, I knew where I was coming, I knew what mentality they had here, and that’s what excited me the most about this team and this club. I came here to make history.’