Federico Higuaín

Federico Higuaín
Higuaín with Columbus Crew in 2017
Personal information
Full name Federico Fernando Higuaín
Date of birth (1984-10-25) 25 October 1984
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position Forward / Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Columbus Crew SC
Number 10
Youth career
River Plate
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2007 River Plate 5 (0)
2005–2007 → Nueva Chicago (loan) 77 (29)
2007–2008 Beşiktaş 14 (2)
2008 → América (loan) 13 (1)
2008–2009 Independiente 18 (1)
2009–2010 Godoy Cruz 36 (11)
2010–2012 Colón 62 (10)
2012– Columbus Crew SC 177 (53)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 October 2018

Federico Fernando Higuaín (Spanish: [feðeˈɾiko iɣwaˈin]; born 25 October 1984) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Columbus Crew SC in Major League Soccer as a forward or as an attacking midfielder.[1]

Early life

Higuaín was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of the Argentine former footballer Jorge Higuaín. Higuaín has three brothers, Nicolas, Lautaro and Gonzalo Higuaín, the latter of whom plays for the Italian Serie A club A.C. Milan, and the Argentina national football team.[2][3][4]

Club career

Argentina

Higuaín signed with River Plate as a youngster playing 5 games and registering no goals. He soon went on loan to Nueva Chicago in the Argentine second division, where he played 77 league games, scoring 29 goals. He also impressed during stints at Godoy Cruz and Colón de Santa Fe.[5]

Columbus Crew SC

Higuaín signed for the Columbus Crew as the team's third ever designated player on 27 July 2012.[6] The reported transfer fee for the deal was $650,000 USD which at the time, was a record transfer fee for the Crew.[7] He made his Crew debut on 19 August 2012 as a substitute against the Houston Dynamo and assisted on the go-ahead goal by Eddie Gaven with a ball over the top just 13 minutes after entering the game. After Dynamo equalized, Higuaín almost put the Crew back into the lead with a direct free kick that went just wide of the goal in the 84th minute.[8] For the Crew's next match on 22 August 2012 Higuaín got his first MLS start against Toronto FC. In the 4th minute, Higuaín once again set up an Eddie Gaven goal to take a 1–0 lead. In the 58th minute of the same match, Higuaín scored his first MLS goal, the game-winner, off of an assist by Jairo Arrieta meaning that Higuaín tallied a goal and two assists through his first two matches with the club.[9] On the Crew's next matchday, Higuaín scored two goals from free kicks in an eventual 4-3 victory over the New England Revolution.[10] For his performances over his first several matches, Higuaín was named the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for week 25, then again for week 26, of the 2012 Major League Soccer season by North American soccer journalists.[11] Higuaín finished the season by scoring both goals of a 2–1 victory against Toronto FC on the final matchday.[12] To begin the 2013 season, Higuaín scored the game-winning goal in the 51st minute of a 3–0 opening-day victory over Chivas USA.[13] On 10 August 2013, Higuaín scored in a 2–0 victory over New York Red Bulls with a chip from well outside the penalty area that was voted Goal of the Week, and in the next match, a 2–0 win over Toronto FC, he chipped the goalkeeper from 22 yards (20 m).[14][15]

Following the 2014 Major League Soccer season in which Higuaín tallied a team-leading eleven goals and seven assists, he was signed to a new contract, the most lucrative deal ever given by the Crew. It was reportedly a two-year contract although terms of the deal were officially undisclosed. At the time of signing his new contract, Higuaín had been ranked fifth in the league in goals, first in penalty kick goals, and one of only eight players to score double-digit goals in the previous two seasons since entering the league.[16]

Style of play

A diminutive playmaker with a slender physique, while not being a prolific goalscorer, Higuaín's technique, creativity on the ball, ability to provide assists for his teammates, and eye for goal from midfield make him capable of playing both as a forward and as an attacking midfielder, and he has also often functioned as a second striker, or as a winger. Buenos Aires-based journalist Daniel Colasimone has stated that "[h]is role is more to harass opposition defenses with intelligent runs, fine ball control and incisive passing. His hard work on and off the ball, and affable personality made him well liked wherever he played in Argentina."[5][17][18]

Personal life

Higuaín holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[19] He is also the brother of A.C. Milan striker Gonzalo Higuaín.

Career statistics

Club

As of 6 October 2018[20]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other[lower-alpha 1] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Columbus Crew SC 2012 MLS 13500––135
2013 291120––2911
2014 291100–113012
2015 32800–51379
2016 20400––204
2017 26910–50329
2018 28500–00285
Career total 17753300011219155
  1. ↑ All appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs

Honours

Club

Columbus Crew SC[20]

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Goal is sweet revenge for Federico Higuain after getting "beat up" by Chivas USA". columbuscrewsc.com. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "Higuain: I'm not jealous of Gonzalo". FIFA.com. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  3. ↑ Federico ganó el duelo de los hermanos Higuaín. Old.clarin.com. Retrieved on 17 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Milan, AC. "Mercato Milan 2018: ultime calciomercato Gonzalo Higuain e Mattia Caldara | AC Milan". AC Milan. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
  5. 1 2 Eric Beard (14 September 2012). "Higuaín Finds Comfort in Columbus". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "Crew signs Argentine striker Federico Higuain as third Designated Player in Club history". Columbus Crew. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  7. ↑ "Columbus Paid Considerable Fee for Higuain". Crewture. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  8. ↑ Merz, Craig. "Higuain leaves strong impressions after debut assist". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  9. ↑ "Crew vs. Toronto FC - August 22, 2012". Columbus Crew. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  10. ↑ Merz, Craig. "Warzycha on Higuain: "It's amazing to have talent like this"". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  11. ↑ Borg, Simon. "Crew DP Higuain captures MLS Player of the Week award". MLS soccer. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  12. ↑ Merz, Craig. "Crew's Higuain offers tasty teaser in season finale". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  13. ↑ "MLS Match Recap: Chivas USA 0, Columbus Crew 3". Major League Soccer. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  14. ↑ King, Andrew (15 August 2013). "Columbus Crew's Federico Higuain says chip vs. New York one of his best all-time goals". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  15. ↑ Sharrett, Cody (20 August 2013). "POLL: Which Higuaín chip was better?". theCrew.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  16. ↑ Jardy, Adam. "Soccer: Higuain's new deal is Crew's richest ever". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "Higuain Federico, il fratello di un Dio minore. Ma ora c'è aria di rivincita" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  18. ↑ Ryan Rosenblatt (28 July 2012). "Columbus Crew Sign Federico Higuain As Designated Player". SB Nation. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  19. ↑ Jardy, Adam (5 February 2015). "Crew: Recovered from injury, Higuain ready to roll". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  20. 1 2 Federico Higuaín at Soccerway
  21. ↑ Rosano, Nicholas. "Crew's Higuain lands MLS Newcomer of the Year award". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  22. ↑ Boehm, Charles. "Higuain earns 2nd straight MLS Player of the Week nod". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Chad Marshall		 Columbus Crew captain
2013		 Succeeded by
Michael Parkhurst
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