When Higuain was still Pipita - the story of the Juventus star's rise to the top

The Argentine was a model student and avid footballer as a youngster - but there was never any doubt over which path he would choose

Before being labelled a traitor for leaving Napoli for Juventus and before missing those chances in the Copa America and World Cup finals against Chile and Germany respectively. Before heading off to Real Madrid at 19 with just 32 games and 13 goals in the bag for River Plate and even before those spectacular Superclasico goals against Boca Juniors. Before all that, on November 10, 1987, Gonzalo Higuain came into the world in Brest, in the northwest of France. 

He was the third of four children to Jorge and Nancy Higuain, and would go on to surpass his footballing father in a career that has brought him numerous titles and awards, as well as a place in the 2016 Goal 50 for his extraordinary goalscoring exploits. Back then, however, he was still 'Pipita', the offspring of Jorge, who had carved out a respectable career as a tough-tackling defender. 

Higuain's place of birth was an accident. He happened to be born in the season Pipa Sr. played in Stade Brestois, now in Ligue 2. His childhood and teenage years all took place in Buenos Aires and he invariably had a ball glued to his feet and the net in his sights. 

"When he was born, I knew he would be a special player," father Jorge told Goal. "I used to say to my wife, 'Gonzalo is not going to stay in Argentina for long.'" 

Higuain started in the reduced spaces of 'baby futbol', indoor, five-a-side games, before River took him into their academy at the age of 10 alongside older brother Federico, now in the MLS with Columbus Crew. 

"He was a calm, polite and hard-working boy," Jorge recalls, and added that he never had any doubt over what he wanted to be. "From the moment he got up to the moment he went to sleep, he played football." 

Jorge and Nancy never pressured their sons to follow in papa's footsteps, but the family heritage was irresistible. Gonzalo followed the example of Federico and Nicolas - who had a short career before becoming agent to his younger brothers - in pulling on the boots for a living. 

He would only take his boots off to continue playing on the Playstation. Gonzalo was responsible and a good student, but his father kept him in line. "You want to commit yourself to football? Great, first you have to study," he repeated to his son as a mantra. One can only conclude that Higuain must have studied awfully hard to get where he is today...