Former Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuaín sheds tears after his final game, marking the end of his football career (photos)

Gonzalo Higuain was overwhelmed with emotion as he played his final match, bringing his football career to a close.

The 34-year-old’s last game concluded with a disappointing 3-0 loss for Inter Miami against New York City FC in the first round of the MLS play-offs on Monday night, October 17.

Earlier this month, Higuain announced his retirement, and as the final whistle blew, he couldn’t hold back his tears, marking the end of an illustrious career.

During his time at Real Madrid, he scored 121 goals in 264 matches, aiding the Bernabeu club in securing three Spanish titles.

Higuain later joined Napoli and continued to display prolific scoring over three seasons before moving to Juventus in 2016.

During his tenure in Turin, he contributed to his team’s three Serie A championships and their appearance in the 2017 Champions League final.

Following a brief loan spell at Chelsea, where he won the Europa League in 2019, he signed for Inter Miami in September 2020, scoring 29 goals in 70 matches for the Florida club.

Higuain also netted 31 goals in 75 appearances for his national team, Argentina, and represented them in three World Cups, including the 2014 final where they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Germany.

Reflecting on his emotions after the game, Higuain expressed, ‘I felt like what I had loved the most as a job had ended. It was half my life, my career, 17-and-a-half years.

‘Images from my entire career came to my mind. What I lived, what I worked, what I experienced, and I’m leaving very happy because I gave it all until today. That’s the most important thing.’

He added, ‘The dream is over, and another life begins.’

Higuain also indicated his interest in becoming a mental health coach for young footballers. ‘I don’t think there’s enough emphasis on the importance of mental health, especially in football, and I’d love to help young people,’ he said.

After the match, Inter Miami coach Phil Neville commended Higuain, saying ‘He is leaving in exactly the way he should be leaving, with the goals that he has scored, the happiness in which he has played, the way he has embraced his team-mates and carried his team-mates.

‘He has done exactly what we expected, and I think he can be massively proud. It is a massive adaptation period for any footballer to come to the MLS, especially when you’ve played in Europe and the Champions League.

‘To come here is a learning curve for people when you think it’s going to be easy and it’s not. It is the hardest league in the world to adapt to because of everything that goes with it.

‘It took time for him to adapt, but people forget last season he was our top goalscorer, our top assist maker, but he didn’t have the players around him he’s had this season, he didn’t have the team around him.

‘You’ve got to have a team, and this season we have got a team, and he has prospered and helped that team.

‘I’m proud to have managed him, as a club we’re proud to have had him, and he leaves in a good moment. He helped us get to the play-offs, and he can now enjoy his retirement.

‘We wish him all the best and he will always be welcome.’