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| FIFA.com |
It has been a vintage season for Argentinian strikers in Italy, with Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain andJuventus’ Paulo Dybala topping the Serie A scoring charts, propelling their teams to first and second in the table, where a mere two points separate them. Pipita leads the way with 24 goals in as many appearances, while his compatriot is next best with 13 from 23, a position he is quite happy to remain in if it means Juve can take the title.
“Higuain capocannoniere and the scudetto for Juventus, I’ll take that,” said Dybala in an interview with Tg1 in the build-up to Saturday’s big match between the two sides at the Juventus Stadium.
The duel between the two forwards will be one of the main attractions of a game that Argentina coach Gerardo Martino will be following closely as he ponders his front-line options for his side’s forthcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ qualifiers. FIFA.com takes a detailed look at both players and assesses their qualities as they vie for the coveted Albiceleste No9 jersey.
Roads to the top
Aged 28 and 22 respectively, Higuain and Dybala have taken differing paths to get to where they are today. El Pipita came through the ranks at River Plate and made his professional début with the Buenos Aires giants, while La Joya started out with Instituto de Cordoba, a club with no little history, but one which has been languishing in the country’s second tier, the Primera B Nacional, for many seasons. It was in that second division that Dybala made his first-team début in 2011/12, the very season that Los Millonarios contested their one and only league campaign outside the first division to date.
Aged 28 and 22 respectively, Higuain and Dybala have taken differing paths to get to where they are today. El Pipita came through the ranks at River Plate and made his professional début with the Buenos Aires giants, while La Joya started out with Instituto de Cordoba, a club with no little history, but one which has been languishing in the country’s second tier, the Primera B Nacional, for many seasons. It was in that second division that Dybala made his first-team début in 2011/12, the very season that Los Millonarios contested their one and only league campaign outside the first division to date.
Higuain’s rise was meteoric, on the other hand. From River he moved to Real Madrid, where he spent seven seasons and won three league championships, two Spanish Super Cups and a Copa del Rey, while a Coppa Italia and an Italian Super Cup has come his way since joining Napoli in 2013. In making the move across the Atlantic, Dybala signed for the less-heralded Palermo before moving to Juventus last season to replace his fellow countryman Carlos Tevez. The only title on his CV to date is an Italian Super Cup.
AttributesWhile both forwards, Higuain and Dybala are different types of operators. The Napoli striker is the archetypal No9, boasting a powerful shot and impressive aerial ability, while the Juventus man is the more versatile of the two, possessing the skills to play in the hole or as an out-and-out striker, and operating over a larger area.
Higuain has earned comparisons with former Argentinian greats Gabriel Batistuta and Hernan Crespo, prompting him to comment: “It’s an honour for me to hear people say that because they were my idols when I was young.”
As for Dybala, his heroes were some of the best creative midfielders the game has ever seen: “My role models have always been [Diego] Maradona, [Juan Roman] Riquelme and Ronaldinho because they had so much fun out on the pitch.”
Physiques
Higuain is the bigger of the two, standing 6’0 tall and weighing 79kg to Dybala’s 5’9 and 72kg. While the Napoli forward is evidently stronger and more powerful than the slight Juventus star, both are meticulous in their preparations and decided to change their diets in an effort to improve their fitness levels, a key factor in their stellar seasons.
Higuain is the bigger of the two, standing 6’0 tall and weighing 79kg to Dybala’s 5’9 and 72kg. While the Napoli forward is evidently stronger and more powerful than the slight Juventus star, both are meticulous in their preparations and decided to change their diets in an effort to improve their fitness levels, a key factor in their stellar seasons.
El Pipita sought the advice of the same doctor who treated Lionel Messi and altered his eating habits completely as a result. “I eat very little red meat and a lot of fish and seafood,” explained Higuain a few months ago. “I’ve also replaced sugar with honey and I’ve cut out fruit. I’ve lost four kilos in all.” La Joya has also made some radical changes to his diet, but with the intention of bulking up. With the aid of some intensive gym work, he has gained three kilos.
International careers
Both players have resisted the lure to play their international football for European countries and had no doubts about answering the call from Argentina. Born in France while his father Jorge was turning out for Brest, Higuain turned down an advance from the then Bleus coach Raymond Domenech at the end of 2006. According to his mother, Nancy, the France boss said to him: “I’m going to call you up. Have Argentina come for you?” To which the player replied: “No, but even if they didn’t, there’s no way I’m going.”
Both players have resisted the lure to play their international football for European countries and had no doubts about answering the call from Argentina. Born in France while his father Jorge was turning out for Brest, Higuain turned down an advance from the then Bleus coach Raymond Domenech at the end of 2006. According to his mother, Nancy, the France boss said to him: “I’m going to call you up. Have Argentina come for you?” To which the player replied: “No, but even if they didn’t, there’s no way I’m going.”
Dybala had a similar experience, being sounded out by Italy boss Antonio Conte’s coaching team in late 2014. Before La Albiceleste had even approached him, however, the youngster made his allegiances clear in an interview he gave to FIFA.com: “My dream is to play for Argentina because I feel Argentinian. I’m going to fight hard for it, though I know it’s going to be tough because it’s a country with some of the best strikers in the world.”
Both have achieved their dream of representing their country, with Higuain having put together an impressive international career since his maiden outing with Argentina in a South Africa 2010 qualifier in October 2009. He went on to make four appearances at those world finals and a further seven at Brazil 2014, including the defeat to Germany in the Final, scoring five goals in the process. Meanwhile, Dybala made his Albiceleste début against Paraguay last October and came on in place of Higuain in the Russia 2018 qualifiers against Brazil and Colombia.
Representing both the present and the future of Argentinian football, the veteran and the novice have given the tifosi plenty to cheer this season, while also handing Martino the kind of selection dilemma that every coach would dream of.