Gonzalo Higuain was the subject of a tug-of-war between France and Argentina as a teenager, and it is easy to see why.
The striker was born in France to a former Argentine player, but left the country after just 10 months, not returning until the 1998 World Cup when he accompanied his father on a scouting job for then Argentina coach Daniel Passarella.
He holds a French passport and after initially rejecting calls from both countries, Higuain opted for Argentina.
Quick Facts:
River of Dreams:
Higuain made his River Plate debut in a 2-1 win over Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata in 2005. His brother Federico also played in the match.
In 35 appearances for River, he scored 13 times. His two strikes in the superclásico against Boca Juniors in 2006 were his most important goals for the club.
Making it in Madrid:
El Pipita made a big-money move to Real Madrid in January 2007 together with Fernando Gago, who joined the Merengues from River's bitter rivals Boca Juniors.
Higuain performed in fits and starts for Real in his first season, although he did set up a goal on his debut against Real Zaragoza. It proved a struggle to win a regular first-team place, but he scored two important goals against Atletico Madrid and Espanyol as Real won their 30th Spanish title.
Despite starting just seven La Liga matches the following season, Higuain struck the winning goal against Osasuna as the club wrapped up their 31st league title. He also netted in a 4-1 rout of Barcelona at the Bernebeu.
Higuain really hit his stride in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 campaigns, scoring 22 and 27 league goals respectively. Despite his improved goal return, Real won the league in neither season as Barcelona swept all before them.
His awareness and movement in the box have proved a real asset to the Spanish giants who were initially criticized for spending such a large amount on an unproven player.
International Career:
Higuain turned down a call-up from former France coach Raymond Domenech to represent Les Bleus in a 2006 friendly against Greece.
After committing his international future to Argentina and playing for the under-23 team, the striker took time to win over national team coach Diego Maradona, but was eventually called up for the last two 2010 World Cup qualifiers, and he netted on his debut as La Albiceleste secured a vital win over Peru.
At the World Cup, Higuain hit a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over South Korea and also found the net against Mexico in the second round as Argentina reached the quarter-finals.
