Gonzalo Higuain didn’t feel any pressure or added anxiety for not scoring in his first two games plus for Inter Miami CF.
And the Argentine legend said he didn’t feel any relief when he hit a golazo of a first MLS goal, which proved to be the winner against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena Wednesday night.
Why?
“That’s my role,” Higuain said in a post-match press conference. “I’ve been playing in the best leagues in the world and that’s my main function, to score.”
Gonzalo Higuain's first MLS goal
While Higuain was nonchalant about his sensational strike, Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso called it “massive,” for the forward who was signed after he left Juventus
“Obviously with the free kick from Gonzalo, the emotions were very high,” Alonso said. “We had been waiting for a long time for a player of his quality, and he showed what we were expecting from him, someone that could make us a better team. I think we were able to see great performances on the first two games, but not the result, but now we get a great performance and a great result.”
The first MLS goal for the 32-year-old who has scored for River Plate, Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus, Milan, Chelsea and Argentina came after 20-year-old Matias Pellegrini, who grew up in Argentina idolizing Higuain, scored his first Inter Miami goal.
Matias Pellegrini's first MLS goal
The wait has been a bit longer for the 20-year-old, but the reaction from his coach was just as emotional.
“It’s a special case because he’s fought the entire year. to be able to show his talent,” Alonso said. “He’s a very young player, it’s the first time that he leaves his country and plays outside of his country. He leaves by himself and he has also the pressure of being one of our DPs. It’s very gratifying to see that he's worked very hard and to be able to do what he did today. He deserved this and we're happy for his performance, for him to regain the confidence that brought him here a year ago.”
Pellegrini was appreciative of the post-match congratulatory messages about his goal and he said he’s still in disbelief at times he gets to call Higuain a teammate.
“It’s great to have Pipa here, I enjoy it every day,” he said. “Sometimes I can't even believe that I'm playing with someone of his quality. I never thought I would do so, especially from a very young age, so he's someone that helps the team a lot, brings a lot to the table. He's a crack and we're very happy that he's here on our club.”
Higuain is enjoying it as well, comparing Major League Soccer to Serie A.
“It’s a league that is very competitive, a league very physical,” Higuain said. “It’s tough, it’s a difficult league and I like it. I like this league. And I think that obviously the more I play, the better I’m going to feel. It’s a difficult, complicated league, very similar to the Italian league where I came from recently, which is why I don’t think it’s going to be very difficult for me to be able to adapt and fit into this league.”
