Profile

New Chelsea arrival Gonzalo Higuaín has won 75 caps for Argentina, but he was actually born on the west coast of France, where his father was playing for Brest. Having moved back to his native Argentina, the young Gonzalo was to follow in the footsteps of his father and, after progressing through the youth ranks at River Plate, become a professional footballer.

After little more than 18 months in the River Plate first team, Higuaín moved to Spanish giants Real Madrid for what now seems like a relatively modest €12m. During his seven seasons in the Spanish capital, the young Argentinian faced fierce competition for a starting spot – from Raul, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, for starters – but he still managed more than 100 league goals and averaged out at almost a goal every other game in total.

By the time Higuaín left for Napoli in the summer of 2013, it had been three years since his La Liga best of 27 goals from 32 appearances. But, with his starting place secured, he showed the full capacity of his talents, netting 71 league goals in three seasons – including 36, a joint record for Serie A, in his one season under the management of current Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri (below).