Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain is aiming to “make history” with his new club following his good form since his big-money move from Real Madrid in July.
The Argentine striker was signed for a fee of €37 million to replace Paris Saint-Germain-bound Edinson Cavani and has hit the ground running at San Paolo, with eight goals in his first 14 games for the club.
And with Napoli only four points off Serie A leaders Roma in third and in contention to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League, Higuain believes that the time has come to get the Partenopeiback to the top of the football landscape.
“I’m here to win and make history for the club,” he said at a press conference. “We are not yet top, but I’m sure that we will get there soon. I’ve come to Naples for the project.”
The 25-year-old also took time to praise coach Rafa Benitez and the Napoli fans, who he felt gave him the motivation to challenge for honours.
“The coach gives me confidence and I find it good to play on this team,” he continued.
“It’s [also] great to play for the fans, who live football. I’m very happy, and I have to think about doing as well as I did before to make our fans happy.”
Napoli host Parma on Saturday in the league, before traveling to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, where a point could see them qualify for the round of 16.
While Higuain understands that both games are crucial to the club’s push for silverware, he maintains his belief that he should take each fixture one game at a time.
“We think about Parma first, where we have to win to stay [in contention] for first place, then we will focus on the challenge of Dortmund, which is very important.
"It is true that the championship is long, but we need to win so that we go to Dortmund with hope.”
The striker concluded by reassuring fans about his physical condition, despite suspicions of injury and fatigue after exertions in the United States midweek on international duty with Argentina.
“We have made a long journey for many hours and are a little tired, we even played in a no-good pitch [versus Ecuador]. We are, however, always available to the coach. My foot problems are also better now, it seems okay.”