Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain says scoring goals is like “ketchup” but may not have had the opportunity as his mother is why “I’m here today”.
A wide-ranging interview with Corriere della Sera on Thursday began with Higuain reflecting on his “dream” of winning with Juve and gratitude to Napoli, but it ended with the Argentine giving a revealing insight into his personal life.
Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain says scoring goals is like “ketchup” but may not have had the opportunity as his mother is why “I’m here today”.
A wide-ranging interview with Corriere della Sera on Thursday began with Higuain reflecting on his “dream” of winning with Juve and gratitude to Napoli, but it ended with the Argentine giving a revealing insight into his personal life.
Starting off by being asked whether he had been on the same plane to Colombia that crashed, killing off almost the entire Chapecoense squad, he replied: “Yes. It’s terrible what happened. My thoughts go to the families and survivors.
“Meningitis at 10 months old? They didn’t tell me everything, but it was serious. Thanks to the doctors and my family, I came out fine.
“Religious? I believe in God. Having an Argentine pope is a source of pride, something profound.
“I’m lucky enough to know him, he seems like a man who transmits great serenity.
“What would I change in the world? That there weren’t so many senseless deaths.
“Going on television to confess my dream of going to Real Madrid? That was everyone’s dream and I made it happen, plus where I am now, thanks to the mental strength that I have.
“My uncle Claudio Zacarias? A bomb went off in his team’s [San Lorenzo] dressing room and wounded his hand. Then he recovered. He’s important to me, he’s an example.
“Van Nistelrooy? He told me something during a period in which I didn’t score. And it’s true.
“You try, but it doesn’t come out. And when it comes out, it all does at once. It’s like ketchup. It’s a beautiful anecdote.
“I believe that no-one is perfect, not even the best players in the world, so I always want to learn.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to accept criticism, but it takes humility to listen, to try to grow again.
“Football like art? Of course it is. When you score a beautiful goal, from a move of five to six touches that your opponents fails to stop, it’s art.
“Do I see football in this way because of my artist mother? Yes, I really think so. She’s a painter: she paints pictures, mostly abstract.
“Since I developed meningitis, my relationship with my mother is special. It was her who took my hand and took me to the hospital: it’s because of her that I’m here today.”