Inter Miami forward Gonzalo Higuaín to retire after 2022 MLS season

Inter Miami CF forward Gonzalo Higuaín will retire after the 2022 MLS season, he announced in a press conference Monday.

That decision will cap a 17-and-a-half-year career for the longtime Argentina national team standout, having joined Inter Miami midway through their expansion campaign in 2020. It will also open a Designated Player slot for the Herons heading into 2023.

Higuaín will hang up his boots in outstanding form with Inter Miami, registering 12 goals and two assists in their last 15 games. They still have two regular-season games remaining and are looking to secure an Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs berth, currently holding the Eastern Conference’s seventh-and-final spot as Decision Day approaches.

So far, Higuaín has 27 goals and 14 assists in 65 appearances (55 starts) with Inter Miami. He led the team in scoring in 2021 and is on pace to accomplish that once again this year. For his career, Higuaín has notched over 300 goals and over 100 assists across more than 700 appearances

Internationally, Higuaín scored 31 goals in 75 appearances, the fifth-most of any player in La Albiceleste history. He appeared in three editions of the FIFA World Cup, including in the 2014 final, and he also appeared in three Copa América tournaments, helping Argentina reach the final twice.

Before joining Inter Miami from Juventus in Italy’s Serie A, Higuaín played for some of Europe’s most storied clubs. He first joined Real Madrid in Spain’s LaLiga after leaving his boyhood River Plate in Argentina, and also enjoyed stops at Napoli and AC Milan in Italy and Chelsea in England’s Premier League.

Along the way, Higuaín was named to the Serie A Team of the Year three times, UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season twice and Juventus Player of the Year twice. He also captured three LaLiga titles, three Serie A titles, a UEFA Europa League title, a Copa del Rey title, and three Coppa Italia titles, among others.