23 February 2024 , 12:49
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Gonzalo Higuain may have flopped at Chelsea, but he is still deserving of a place alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as a great of the game.
That is according to Paulo Dybala, who gave a shout-out to the former Argentina striker when asked to name his favourite team-mates over the years. Dybala is now playing for Roma following a seven-year spell at Juventus, while he has also earned 38 caps for Argentina.
Dybala won five Serie A titles at Juve, two of which came while playing up front with Ronaldo, who plundered 101 goals in 134 games for the club. The 30-year-old has also had the pleasure of lining up alongside Messi with Argentina and was there to lift the World Cup in Qatar.
Those two greats of the modern game unsurprisingly make Dybala’s top three, but his other pick of Higuain may raise eyebrows. Higuain had an uninspiring loan spell at Chelsea in 2019, which contained just five goals in 18 games, but he was lethal for Real Madrid, Juventus and Napoli and is fondly remembered by Dybala, who partnered him at Juve.
“Messi, Ronaldo and [Gonzalo] Higuain are my three favourite team-mates in the world of football,” Dybala told Al Arabi Al Jadeed via Calciomercato. “Ronaldo, he’s a champion – playing with him at Juventus was wonderful.
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"I learned about the dedication to my profession from him and the desire to win, despite everything I had already achieved. I am not surprised that he is also doing well in [Saudi] Arabia. Although my dream since I was a child was to play with Messi... he is already a constant inspiration. To have shared the World Cup victory with him is something I will never forget.”
Higuain scored 335 goals in 710 games in his club career before calling time at the end of Inter Miami’s 2022 season. He scored 31 goals in 75 games for Argentina but retired from international duty in 2019 before their triumph in Qatar.
Paulo Dybala enjoyed playing with Gonzalo Higuain at Juventus (MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)Dybala is still playing for Roma, who are now managed by Daniele De Rossi after Jose Mourinho was sacked in January. Mourinho left the Roman club under a cloud, but Dybala enjoyed working with him.
“Working with Mourinho was stimulating and represented a significant period of growth for me," he said. "A coach who has done a lot in his career, he certainly brings his experience and helps you grow as a footballer. Honestly, I don’t know what the future holds for him, but I’m sure he will continue at the top.
“We have a new coach now, Daniele De Rossi, who was an icon here as a player and is now fully committed to his new role. He is passing on his ideas and it is really inspiring to work with him.”
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