Higuain happy with Argentina career despite not winning trophy

Gonzalo Higuain is happy to have enjoyed a fruitful international career with Argentina, despite never getting his hands on a trophy for his country.

The attacker, who was a member of the Albiceleste team that finished second at the Brazil 2014 World Cup, retired from the national setup in 2019, missing out on the Copa America triumph last year. Higuain, now playing for Inter Miami in MLS, is delighted for old team-mate Lionel Messi's long-awaited international success, but remains proud of his own career for his country.

"With my national team, I gave everything and I will never blame myself for that," Higuain told Stats Perform. "Unfortunately I couldn't get anything. But I'm happy for those who could because we've shared so many bad times, but nobody takes what we've lived through. We were a wonderful group and we played great football, but some of us stepped aside and those who followed made it."

Higuain also believes trophies must come secondary to how a player acts both on and off the pitch. "I want to congratulate [Messi] for keeping trying, that's what life is all about," he added. "I think that having won a Copa America or a World Cup doesn't make you a better person. The most important thing in life is the values one has and being a good person.

"Unfortunately, people value you for what you win or what you lose, but I prefer to be remembered for being good people and having left something in each club I played. I was champion in each club, I scored goals and played in the best clubs, then whoever wants can evaluate you for one or two plays. I respect opinions, but my happiness does not change whether or not I have achieved something with my national team. If you are happy with yourself, then that's it. I congratulate them, but we continue our lives in the same way, I don't feel like a better or worse person for that."

Higuain will look to help Miami to a first win of the new MLS season against Houston Dynamo in their next outing. The former Juventus, Real Madrid and Napoli forward scored 12 times in MLS last season but has only netted once so far this term, with Miami having lost three of their four games.