Higuain goes from hero to zero in record Juve deal

AFP, MILAN: On 36 occasions last season, Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain boosted Napoli dreams of ending a 26-year title drought as he inspired with goalscoring feats in the Scudetto race with Juventus.
On Tuesday, Higuain went from hero to zero after completing the world’s third most expensive transfer to join Napoli’s rivals in a move that has underlined his quest for success, yet prompted swift criticism.
Higuain was feted as the King of Napoli only two months ago when he broke Gunnar Nordahl’s 66-year-old record of 35 goals in a single Serie A season as the Azzurri battled Juve for a title they last won in 1990.
But less than a month before Juve begin their bid for a record sixth consecutive title, the 28-year-old Argentine’s name in Naples might as well be mud.
As Juve fans largely rejoiced when they smashed the Italian transfer record by paying 90m euros ($98.8m, £75.3m) to capture Higuain, their Napoli counterparts reacted by posting photos of their former idol’s shirt in the toilet.
Higuain will undergo a medical on Wednesday ahead of signing a five-year deal that would leave him behind only Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo in the list of most expensive transfers.
But as Juventus, who have also signed exciting Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic from Roma and central defender Medhi Benatia from Bayern Munich, continue to reinforce Massimiliano Allegri’s squad for a fresh assault on the Champions League, they may also have unleashed the biggest controversy of the summer.
From top footballers to television celebrities and even Napoli’s kit man, Higuain’s move to the most potent, revered and perhaps hated club in Italy was met with mixed reaction.
For one-club man Francesco Totti, who is set to play his final season with Roma, it is a disaster that smacks more of “business than passion”.
“People come to the stadium to have fun and to see a player that’s always with the same team. Maybe they hope for a player that won’t betray them,” he told Gazzetta World.

 

Higuain goes from hero to zero in record Juve deal

AFP, MILAN: On 36 occasions last season, Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain boosted Napoli dreams of ending a 26-year title drought as he inspired with goalscoring feats in the Scudetto race with Juventus. On Tuesday, Higuain went from hero to zero after completing the worlds third most expensive transfer to join Napolis rivals in a move that has underlined his quest for success, yet prompted swift criticism. Higuain was feted as the King of Napoli only two months ago when he broke Gunnar Nordahls 66-year-old record of 35 goals in a single Serie A season as the Azzurri battled Juve for a title they last won in 1990. But less than a month before Juve begin their bid for a record sixth consecutive title, the 28-year-old Argentines name in Naples might as well be mud. As Juve fans largely rejoiced when they smashed the Italian transfer record by paying 90m euros ($98.8m, 75.3m) to capture Higuain, their Napoli counterparts reacted by posting photos of their former idols shirt in the toilet. Higuain will undergo a medical on Wednesday ahead of signing a five-year deal that would leave him behind only Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo in the list of most expensive transfers. But as Juventus, who have also signed exciting Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic from Roma and central defender Medhi Benatia from Bayern Munich, continue to reinforce Massimiliano Allegris squad for a fresh assault on the Champions League, they may also have unleashed the biggest controversy of the summer. From top footballers to television celebrities and even Napolis kit man, Higuains move to the most potent, revered and perhaps hated club in Italy was met with mixed reaction. For one-club man Francesco Totti, who is set to play his final season with Roma, it is a disaster that smacks more of business than passion. People come to the stadium to have fun and to see a player thats always with the same team. Maybe they hope for a player that wont betray them, he told Gazzetta World.