Gonzalo Higuain says Carles Puyol is the toughest defender he has faced
Gonzalo Higuain, the Argentine striker has revealed in an interview with Premium Sport that Carles Puyol was the best defender he has ever faced in his playing career. The Argentine is currently plying his trade in the Serie A with Italian league leaders, Juventus.
The former Real Madrid striker stated, “Apart from my dad, the toughest defender I’ve ever faced is Puyol. When I was playing against Barcelona he was intolerable”
Over the course of the interview, the 29-year-old revealed his admiration for the Italian league as well as the number of strikers whom he intended to emulate in order to improve his game.
Higuain stated, “When I was a child I used to watch many Serie A games. There were strikers like Trezeguet, Batistuta, Crespo and Montella but also the best striker of all time to me: Ronaldo.”
The South American striker went on to name fellow South Americans such as Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez as one of the best in the world and revealed his admiration for the way the Uruguayan has improved since his move to Barcelona from Liverpool. About Messi, Higuain exclaimed, “Messi is the best and he’s proving it day by day.”
Three of the best goalkeepers out there are Buffon, Casillas and Reina: Higuain
Higuain has been prolific in his time in the Serie A having moved from Real Madrid to Napoli for €40 million in the summer of 2013. And during his three seasons with Napoli he scored a total of 95 goals in 146 appearances. His prolific scoring record saw him win the Capocannoniere (Serie A – Golden Boot) with 36 total goals last season.
On the way to the award, the Argentinean also equalled Gino Rossetti's record set in 1928–29. Nevertheless, that didn’t prevent the striker from revealing the toughest players that he has come up against with Puyol heading the list.
The striker also revealed his admiration for his team-mate, Buffon stating, “As for goalkeepers I’ve played with three of the best out there: Buffon, Casillas and Reina. Score a goal to Buffon is a double challenge because he’s an amazing keeper. I admire Gigi a lot because he has the same hunger of when he was young.”
Having moved to the Bianconeri side in the summer for a whopping €90 million, the striker was initially accused of being overweight and to be fair, his images at the time weren't particularly flattering either.
Nevertheless, this hasn’t seemed to deter his scoring form as the Argentine has already found the back of the net 13 times in 22 appearances. The Serie A returns to action on the 7th of January with Juventus scheduled for a Monday night game against Bologna.
The Old Lady currently lead the Serie A with 42 points and 4 ahead of their closest rivals Roma. Higuain, who has already scored 10 goals in the league this season, will look to overhaul Mauro Icardi, who currently leads the scoring charts with 14 goals.