Federico Higuaín
Federico Fernando Higuaín (Spanish: [feðeˈɾiko iɣwaˈin]; born 25 October 1984) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward and attacking midfielder. He is currently the head coach for MLS Next Pro club Inter Miami II.
| Higuaín with Columbus Crew in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Federico Fernando Higuaín | ||
| Date of birth | 25 October 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward, attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Inter Miami ll (currently manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2003 | River Plate | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2005 | River Plate | 5 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | Nueva Chicago | 71 | (26) |
| 2007–2008 | Beşiktaş | 9 | (0) |
| 2008 | → Club América (loan) | 13 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Independiente | 18 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | Godoy Cruz | 36 | (11) |
| 2010–2012 | Colón | 62 | (10) |
| 2012–2019 | Columbus Crew SC | 193 | (55) |
| 2019–2020 | D.C. United | 10 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Inter Miami | 29 | (3) |
| Total | 446 | (109) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2021 | Inter Miami (Academy) | ||
| 2022 | Inter Miami ll Assistant | ||
| 2022– | Inter Miami ll | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 February 2022 | |||
He played 157 games and scored 35 goals in the Argentine Primera División for River Plate, Nueva Chicago, Independiente, Godoy Cruz and Colón between 2003 and 2012. He also had brief spells in Turkey with Beşiktaş J.K. and Mexico with Club América in 2007–08.
In 2012, he signed for Columbus Crew SC for a club-record US$650,000, and won the MLS Newcomer of the Year Award in his first season. He made nearly 200 appearances and scored over 50 goals for the club, helping them to the Eastern Conference title in 2015.
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, also a footballer.[1][2][3]
Club career
Early career
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 total games, scoring 29 goals. He also impressed during stints at Godoy Cruz and Colón de Santa Fe.[4]
In August 2007, Higuaín signed a three-year contract at Beşiktaş J.K. of the Turkish Süper Lig, for a US$1.65 million fee.[5] He did not settle in Istanbul, and the following February he was loaned to Mexico's Club América.[6]
Columbus Crew SC
Higuaín signed for the Columbus Crew as the team's third ever designated player on 27 July 2012,[7] for a then club record fee of $650,000 USD.[8] He made his debut on 19 August as a substitute against the Houston Dynamo and assisted on the go-ahead goal by Eddie Gaven with a ball over the top 13 minutes later.[9] Three days later he got his first MLS start against Toronto FC, and in the fourth minute again set up a Gaven opener, then scored the winning goal himself.[10] In the next game on 26 August, he scored two goals from free kicks in an eventual 4–3 victory over the New England Revolution.[11] For his performances over his first several matches, Higuaín was named the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for weeks 25 and 26, of the 2012 Major League Soccer season by North American football journalists.[12] He finished the season by scoring both goals of a 2–1 victory against Toronto FC on the final matchday.[13]
To begin the 2013 season, Higuaín scored in a 3–0 opening-day victory over Chivas USA on 2 March.[14] On 10 August, he 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).[15][16]
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.[citation needed] 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.[17]
In 2015, Higuaín scored eight goals and provided nine assists during the MLS regular season, while in the playoffs, he won the Eastern Conference Championship with Crew,[18][19] only to miss out on the MLS Cup Final to Portland, following a 2–1 home defeat.[20] The following season, Higuaín had a disappointing season, scoring only four goals and adding three assists in just 20 appearances, as Crew missed out on the playoffs. While many pundits expected him to leave the next season, as his contract was expiring, he signed a one-year extension, and in 2017, he helped Crew to qualify for the playoffs and reach the Eastern Conference finals.[20]
On 25 May 2019, in a game against the Colorado Rapids, Higuaín was injured, and subsequently received anterior cruciate ligament surgery, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.[21] On 21 October 2019, Columbus Crew's president and general manager, Tim Bezbatchenko, announced that the club decided not to extend his contract for the next season.[22]
D.C. United
On 2 March 2020, Higuaín joined D.C. United as a player and Player Development Coach.[23] On 13 July 2020, he made his first appearance in an "MLS is Back" tournament match against Toronto FC. With D.C. United losing 2–0 and at a man disadvantage due to a first-half ejection, Higuain came on as a substitute in the 80th minute and scored on a breakaway in the 84th minute. D.C. United added a second goal in injury time to force a 2–2 draw.[24]
Inter Miami CF
On 10 October 2020, D.C. United traded Higuaín to Inter Miami in exchange for $50,000 in General Allocation Money, where Higuaín joined his brother, Gonzalo Higuaín.[25] Higuaín re-signed with Miami on 28 January 2021 for the 2021 season.[26] Following the 2021 season, Higuaín announced his retirement from playing professional football.[27]
Style of play
Nicknamed Pipa, Higuaín is a diminutive playmaker with a slender physique. While not being a prolific goalscorer, his technique, vision, intelligence, 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." His coach at Columbus, Gregg Berhalter, said of him in 2015: "He’s the guy who ties everything together. He ties the defense to the offense on both sides of the ball. He's been fantastic this year, and his contribution is underrated in my eyes because he's been performing at a really, really high level."[4][18][19][20][28][29]
Coaching
Higuaín began his coaching career in 2020 when he signed with D.C. United as a player & player development coach.[30]
On 4 February 2022, Hugaín was named as part of the coaching staff for Inter Miami II ahead of the inaugural MLS Next Pro season.[31]
Personal life
Higuaín holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[32]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 2003–04 | Primera División | 3 | 0 | – | 1[b] | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Primera División | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2005–06 | Primera División | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Primera División | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Nueva Chicago (loan) | 2005–06 | Primera B Nacional | 36 | 13 | – | – | 4[c] | 2 | 40 | 15 | ||
| 2006–07 | Primera División | 35 | 13 | – | – | 2[d] | 1 | 37 | 14 | |||
| Total | 71 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 77 | 29 | ||
| Beşiktaş | 2007–08 | Süper Lig | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| América (loan) | 2008 | Primera División de México | 13 | 1 | – | 9[b] | 1 | – | 22 | 2 | ||
| Independiente | 2008–09 | Primera División | 18 | 1 | – | 1[f] | 0 | – | 19 | 1 | ||
| Godoy Cruz | 2009–10 | Primera División | 36 | 11 | – | – | – | 36 | 11 | |||
| Colón | 2010–11 | Primera División | 27 | 3 | – | – | – | 27 | 3 | |||
| 2011–12 | Primera División | 35 | 7 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 35 | 7 | |||
| Total | 62 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 10 | ||
| Columbus Crew SC | 2012 | MLS | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 5 | ||
| 2013 | 29 | 11 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 11 | ||||
| 2014 | 29 | 11 | 0 | 0 | – | 1[g] | 1 | 30 | 12 | |||
| 2015 | 32 | 8 | 0 | 0 | – | 5[g] | 1 | 37 | 9 | |||
| 2016 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 4 | ||||
| 2017 | 26 | 9 | 1 | 0 | – | 5[g] | 0 | 32 | 9 | |||
| 2018 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | – | 3[g] | 2 | 33 | 8 | |||
| 2019 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 193 | 55 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 210 | 59 | ||
| D.C. United | 2020 | MLS | 10[nb 1] | 2 | – | – | – | 10 | 2 | |||
| Inter Miami | 2020 | MLS | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 421 | 106 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 20 | 7 | 462 | 116 | ||
- ^ Appearances in the Turkish Cup and U.S. Open Cup
- ^ a b Appearances in the Copa Libertadores
- ^ Appearances in the Primera B Nacional Promotion Playoff
- ^ Appearances in the Primera División Relegation Playoff
- ^ Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
- ^ Appearance in the Copa Sudamericana
- ^ a b c d Appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs
- ^ Includes three appearances and two goals in the MLS is Back Tournament
Honours
Individual
- MLS Newcomer of the Year: 2012[36]
- MLS Player of the Week 2012: Week 25, 26[37]
- AT&T Goal of the Week 2013: Week 24[38]
- MLS Player of the Week 2014: Week 11[38]
References
- ^ . FIFA.com. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ Federico ganó el duelo de los hermanos Higuaín. Old.clarin.com. Retrieved on 17 April 2014.
- ^ Milan, AC. "Mercato Milan 2018: ultime calciomercato Gonzalo Higuain e Mattia Caldara | AC Milan". AC Milan. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ a b Eric Beard (14 September 2012). "Higuaín Finds Comfort in Columbus". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ "Federico Higuaín será compañero de Rodrigo Tello en el Besiktas" [Federico Higuaín will be Rodrigo Tello's teammate at Beşiktaş] (in Spanish). Emol. 21 August 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- ^ "Beşiktaş bring in Schildenfeld". UEFA. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- ^ . Columbus Crew. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ "Columbus Paid Considerable Fee for Higuain". Crewture. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
- ^ Merz, Craig. "Higuain leaves strong impressions after debut assist". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ . Columbus Crew. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
- ^ Merz, Craig. "Warzycha on Higuain: "It's amazing to have talent like this"". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ^ Borg, Simon. "Crew DP Higuain captures MLS Player of the Week award". MLS soccer. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ^ Merz, Craig. "Crew's Higuain offers tasty teaser in season finale". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
- ^ "MLS Match Recap: Chivas USA 0, Columbus Crew 3". Major League Soccer. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Sharrett, Cody (20 August 2013). "POLL: Which Higuaín chip was better?". theCrew.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ Jardy, Adam. "Soccer: Higuain's new deal is Crew's richest ever". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ a b King, Andrew (3 December 2015). "2015 MLS Cup: Overshadowed by teammates, Federico Higuain still the player that ties Columbus Crew SC together". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- ^ a b "2015 MLS Cup: Head-to-head position breakdown of Columbus Crew SC vs. Portland Timbers". MLS Soccer. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- ^ a b c Davis, Jason (27 November 2017). "MLS Cup win would put Higuain firmly alongside Schelotto in Crew lore". ESPN FC. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- ^ "Crew's Higuain out for season after knee surgery". ESPN.com. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ Murphy, Patrick. "Federico Higuain's playing days are over in Columbus, but Crew leave door open for future return". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "D.C. United Acquire MLS Veteran Playmaker Federico Higuaín". 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Toronto FC vs. DC United - Football Match Report - July 13, 2020 - ESPN".
- ^ "Inter Miami CF Acquires Veteran Midfielder Federico Higuaín". intermiamicf.com. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Butler, Dylan (28 January 2021). "Inter Miami CF sign Federico Higuain to new contract for 2021 season". mlssoccer.com. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "MLS great Federico Higuain to retire after 2021 season: "Everything has an end" | MLSSoccer.com".
- ^ "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.
- ^ Ryan Rosenblatt (28 July 2012). "Columbus Crew Sign Federico Higuain As Designated Player". SB Nation. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ Sigal, Jonathan. "Federico Higuain signs with DC United as player, Player Development Coach". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ "Fort Lauderdale CF Announces Full Technical Staff Ahead of First MLS NEXT Pro Season". InterMiamiCF.com. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ Jardy, Adam (5 February 2015). . Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ "Federico Higuaín at WorldFootball.net". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Federico Higuaín at Soccerway
- ^ Federico Higuaín at Major League Soccer
- ^ Rosano, Nicholas. . MLS Soccer. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- ^ Boehm, Charles. "Higuain earns 2nd straight MLS Player of the Week nod". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ a b . MLS Soccer. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
External links
- Federico Higuaín at Major League Soccer
- Federico Higuaín at Soccerway
- at Fútbol XXI (in Spanish)