'Please stop talking about Gonzalo, our mother is battling cancer' – Higuain's brother calls for privacy

The 32-year-old has become the topic of much discussion after travelling back to South America to visit his ill mother during the Covid-19 outbreak

Gonzalo Higuain's brother Nicola has called for the media to stay out of their family's business while their mother is battling cancer, with the striker having recently left in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic to return to to be at her side.

Higuain made headlines with his decision to leave Turin seven days into a recommended 14-day quarantine, making the long journey to South America through and due to Covid-19 severely restricting travel across the globe.

Having left just a week into self-isolation, the 32-year-old's actions left lawyer Rinaldo Romanelli – who is studying the virus and its implications – “at the very least perplexed”, stating in an interview with the Corriere dello Sport that the player should have seen out the two-week quarantine period.

Romanelli went on to question who authorised Higuain to leave despite Juventus having stated that their isolation protocols were voluntary, and the Argentina international's brother appears to have snapped back at the lawyer.

“Our mother, like so many other people in the world, is battling a disease called cancer,” Nicola wrote in a post on Facebook.

“These people clearly don't care about my mother's health, they only care about mentioning the magic word that in this case is 'Higuain', that's how this business works.

“Obviously everyone knows who this message is for and I don't like to generalise. My brother, Gonzalo, travelled with the authorisation of the club and with a certificate that proves he is negative for Covid-19.

“Like any other Argentine citizen in this country, he is carrying out the quarantine measures requested by our president.

“Higuain did not run away, okay? The reason is so that he could be with our mother during this undesirable situation. Please do not use the magic word in this delicate family moment.

“It's better to put your efforts into doing more important things right now. Thank you.”

Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira were also allowed to travel back to Luxembourg and respectively by Juventus, while Cristiano Ronaldo remains in Madeira after having travelled to visit his own mother after she suffered a stroke.