I wanted Gonzalo Higuain to stay at Real Madrid, says Carlo Ancelotti
Since Gonzalo Higuain left the sunny shores of Spain to further his career under Rafa Benitez’s tutelage at Napoli, he has developed into one of the deadliest marksmen in world football.
He managed to score an impressive 91 goals in 146 appearances for the Naples side; equaling Gino Rossetti's 88-year-old record for most goals scored in a Serie A season with 36 in 2015/16.
His phenomenal form and a falling out with Napoli’s chairman saw him earn a €90 million move to Juventus, in the process becoming one of the most expensive forwards of all time. That fee surpassed that of what Barcelona paid for Luis Suarez and was the highest ever paid for a transfer by an Italian club.
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With Benzema looking out-of-sorts and Alvaro Morata being bizarrely overlooked by Zidane, the Los Blancos seem a bit lightweight up top this season. With their current striking troubles, someone who boasts of the Argentinian’s talent and skillset would definitely not have looked out of place in their starting line-up.
Current Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti has now admitted that he did not want to sell Higuain when he took over the Santiago Bernabeu hot seat in the summer of 2013.
He said that Gonzalo Higuain and Robert Lewandowski are currently two of the best strikers on the planet and Paulo Dybala is on their way to joining them.
I didn’t want him to leave – Ancelotti
Ancelotti also pointed out that the lack of game time for Higuain with the Champions League holders was a key factor in his decision to leave the club.
“I didn't want him to leave Real Madrid, but I couldn't convince him to stay. He wants to play regularly and he chose Napoli,” said Ancelotti.
"The 90 million euros which Juventus paid for Higuaín is money well spent, the best players cost money, and Higuaín is the best out-and-out No.9 in the world alongside Luis Suárez and Lewandowski," he added.
Higuain had managed to notch up a tally of 107 goals in 190 league games for Madrid after joining as a 20-year-old from River Plate. But the emergence of Karim Benzema saw him sold to Napoli for €40 million, something that seems like quite the bargain now.
He has since cemented his reputation as one of the world’s finest forwards and is in excellent form for Juventus this season as they look to reclaim the Scudetto for a 6th consecutive season under Massimiliano Allegri.
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