Paris Saint-Germain striker Lionel Messi has expressed his feelings for his former teammate Gonzalo Higuain after his recent retirement announcement.
Gonzalo Higuaín or better known as El Pipita came from the River Plate academy and made his debut in the senior team of the Argentine club. Higuain later played for many other top clubs such as Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan and Chelsea.
One of the best center forwards in the recent past, Higuain is known for being a complete number 9. The striker has scored in all the clubs he has played for with a good conversion rate.
Higuain currently plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. And it is that the striker has decided to hang up his boots after finishing this season.
Lionel Messi talks about Higuain
Higuaín was one of the mainstays of the Argentine team during the last decade. The striker has played 75 games for the national team and has scored 32 goals.
He was part of three consecutive finals for Argentina where they narrowly lost the game. After all the matches, Higuain was heavily criticized for not taking advantage of his opportunities and became the scapegoat.
This was followed by unnecessary trolls and attacks on social networks. During his retirement announcement, Higuain admitted that all this negativity affected him greatly. However, he somehow recovered with the help of his family. And now, finally, one of his former teammates Lionel Messi has come forward in support of him.
Speaking to DirecTV Sports, Lionel Messi said: “The Pipa thing was terrible because he had a spectacular career. What he did was very difficult because he played in the best teams in the world, always performing, scoring goals and being a champion. He also left his mark in the Copa América and in the World Cup”.
Messi also said that his teammate was mistreated by some of the journalists. This was later taken up by the general public who then began to launch all the attacks against the Argentine striker.
Whats Next?
Higuaín has already retired from the Argentine team and therefore will not be part of it in the next World Cup in Qatar 2022.
However, Lionel Messi will lead Argentina in the next World Cup in Qatar. This will also be his last appearance for Messi on the biggest stage of all.
The PSG striker is currently nursing an injury sustained in a UEFA Champions League match against Benfica. Due to this injury, he was out of PSG’s last two games.
Lionel Messi is expected to return in the next crucial match against arch-rivals Marseille. He now hopes to get back to form before the World Cup.
