After the match against South Korea, Maradona was cock-a-hoop. And with good reason. Not only had his team won 4-1, but barring a short spell in the second third, had stomped all over the Koreans.
And one man stood out. Gonzalo Gerardo "El Pipita" Higuaín etched his name in football history with the first hat-trick of FIFA World Cup 2010.
Coming from a family of footballers, Higuain's potential as first spotted by the manager of local club, River Plate, back home in Argentina. Real Madrid lost no time in signing him up for a multimillion dollar six and a half year contract, in 2006.
His career with Real Madrid has only justified the club's faith in Higuain's prodigious talent. His 64 goals and 21 assists in 139 appearances tell their story.
France-born Higuain was undecided about which country he wanted to represent. Both teams vied for his participation, but the player delayed his decision till he decided to go with Argentina in February 2008 for a pre-Olympic friendly against Guatemala, in which Higuain got 2 of the 5 goals his team scored. Maradona was widely criticized for not selecting Higuain earlier.
But it was not until October 2009, that Higuain got his first recognized international goal, against Peru in a World Cup qualifier. This was a crucial match for Argentina's qualification prospects, and without Higuain's contribution, the team may have missed the World Cup bus. He has since scored 4 more. And we saw 3 of those on Thursday.
For the latest sports gossip and news you will not find anywhere else on the Internet, and to download a FREE eBook on the 2010 FIFA World Cup [http://cricinfosite.com], click [http://www.cricinfosite.com]
Suresh Iyer is an avid sports fan and blogger.
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