Federico Higuaín

Federico Higuaín

Higuaín with Columbus Crew SC in 2016.
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 7 ^1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Forward / Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team	Columbus Crew
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	104	(35)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:28, 25 October 2015 (UTC). † Appearances (goals)

Federico Fernando Higuaín (Spanish: [feðeˈɾiko iɣwaˈin]; born 25 October 1984 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine footballer who currently 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, the son of the Argentine former footballer Jorge Higuaín. Higuaín has three brothers, Nicolas, Lautaro and Gonzalo Higuaín who plays for Italian club Napoli.^[2][3]

Club career

Higuaín with Godoy Cruz in 2010

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 second division, where he played 77 league games, scoring 29 goals. He also impressed during stints at Godoy Cruz and Colón de Santa Fe.

His 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.^[4]

Columbus Crew

Higuaín signed for Columbus Crew as the team's third ever designated player on 27 July 2012.^[5] The reported transfer fee for the deal was $650,000 USD which, if correct, is believed to be the highest transfer fee ever paid by the Crew.^[6] 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.^[7] 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.^[8] On the Crew's next matchday, Higuaín scored two goals from free kicks in an eventual 4-3 victory over the New England Revolution.^[9] 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.^[10] Higuaín finished the season by scoring both goals of a 2-1 victory against Toronto FC on the final matchday.^[11] 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.^[12] 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).^[13][14]

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.^[15]

Personal

Higuaín holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.^[16]

Honors

Individual

• MLS Newcomer of the Year: 2012^[17]
• MLS Player of the Week 2012 (2): Week 25, 26^[18]

Career statistics

As of 25 October 2015

Club	Season	League	League			Cup			Continental			Total
			Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
Columbus Crew SC	2012	MLS	13	5	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	5	7
	2013		29	11	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	29	11	9
	2014		29	11	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	29	11	7
	2015		32	8	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	32	8	9
	2016		2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0
Career Total			104	35	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	104	35	32

References

1. http://www.thecrew.com/news/2013/03/goal-sweet-revenge-federico-higuain-after-getting-beat-chivas-usa
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. http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/higuain-finds-comfort-in-columbus/
5. "Crew signs Argentine striker Federico Higuain as third Designated Player in Club history". Columbus Crew. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
6. "Columbus Paid Considerable Fee for Higuain". Crewture. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
7. Merz, Craig. "Higuain leaves strong impressions after debut assist". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
8. "Crew vs. Toronto FC - August 22, 2012". Columbus Crew. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
9. Merz, Craig. "Warzycha on Higuain: "It's amazing to have talent like this"". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
10. Borg, Simon. "Crew DP Higuain captures MLS Player of the Week award". MLS soccer. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
11. Merz, Craig. "Crew's Higuain offers tasty teaser in season finale". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
12. "MLS Match Recap: Chivas USA 0, Columbus Crew 3". Major League Soccer. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
13. 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.
14. Sharrett, Cody (20 August 2013). "POLL: Which Higuaín chip was better?". theCrew.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
15. Jardy, Adam. "Soccer: Higuain's new deal is Crew's richest ever". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
16. Jardy, Adam (5 February 2015). "Crew: Recovered from injury, Higuain ready to roll". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
17. Rosano, Nicholas. "Crew's Higuain lands MLS Newcomer of the Year award". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
18. Boehm, Charles. "Higuain earns 2nd straight MLS Player of the Week nod". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 5 September 2012.

External links

• MLS player profile
• Federico Higuaín at Soccerway
• Argentine Primera statistics (Spanish)