The Daily Mail, like the Guardian, is a great newspaper – if you have a wood-burning stove and can use paper to heat your home. Nevertheless, when a story involves Real Madrid, and it is mentioned by Marca, you can be assured that it is not entirely trash. The story here is that Gonzalo Higuaín is rumored to be on our radar, and he has recently rejected a contract extension from Real, perhaps signaling interest. Higuaín, 22, is a terrific striker and is one of the contenders for Spain`s Pichichi award given (by Marca) to the highest goal scorer each season. See below for video of his two most recent goals in a 5-1 Madrid win over Tenerife.
Do we need him? Well, yes and no. We have variety in our striking options, but as seen when Benjani got starts this season, our depth is not what it could be. Wonder goals may look good on film, but it seems obvious that a consistent finisher who prefers goals and team play to going it alone at defenders is what you want from a forward, and that`s what he would give us. He`s 22, but he`s already one of the best in Spain, so we would be bringing in a player for now and for the future. He`s Argentine, so he could benefit from Carlos Tevez` experience in settling in England. I said this with Gago, and I will say it again here: we should sign any players from that country we can if it helps us bring in Angel di Maria, who will soon be the best in the world. Imagine an attacking trio a few years from now of Tevez, di Maria, and Higuaín – unstoppable and something we can bring into reality.
Can we get him? Well, yes and no. Skepticism is appropriate when we are linked with players whose agents may simply be using us to score a bigger payday. Higuaín`s case may be more than agent talk. He will never be the big name in Madrid with Ronaldo around, and given Marca`s promotion of Ronaldo for the Pichichi when teammate Higuaín has more goals, it is understandable that he feels a lack of respect from the club apart from his salary, according to Marca one of the lowest in the squad. Benzema`s presence at the club also means that Higuaín can`t even be sure about his status as striker of the future, and he may well be comfortable joining the ranks of ex-Madrid players forced out by bigger buys and bigger names. Madrid is about glamour, dribbling, and firing managers after winning the league because their play was not flashy enough. Higuaín is a crystalline example of this part of Madrid`s character, their dissatisfaction with wins and goals if they are not accompanied by style. I think at City we value wins and goals above style, and Higuaín would be our kind of player.
¡Que venga al City este verano!
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