Chelsea Striker Gonzalo Higuain Responds to 'Mercenary' Criticism

New Chelsea signing Gonzalo Higuain has responded to criticism from Italian politician Matteo Salvini, who referred to the former AC Milan striker as a mercenary following his second transfer of the season.

Salvini—a Milan fan—serves as Italy's interior minister and told radio network RTL on Monday (h/t ESPN FC's Liam Twomey) he hoped to never see the player in Milan again after he "behaved in an unworthy manner." He added he didn't want "mercenaries in politics or football," but Higuain responded in an Instragram post that translated to read:

"If they speak badly of you, you should feel proud because it means that your life is more important than theirs.

"When you don't have a go at others, you focus on your things and you reach certain achievements, it appears that certain people are annoyed by that and in that eagerness to achieve what one is or has, far from getting to work and make an effort to succeed, they try hard to speak badly of the rest."

Salvini's comments come in the days following Higuain's departure from Milan, with his loan deal from parent club Juventus confirmed on Wednesday:

Higuain made his Chelsea debut in a 3-0 FA Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, playing 82 minutes at Stamford Bridge but failing to get on the scoresheet.

The 31-year-old has represented three of the biggest clubs in Italian football (Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan) and spent six years at Real Madrid, where he jostled alongside some of the biggest talents in the sport.

Italian football expert James Horncastle dissected Salvini's comments further and explored some likely political bias: 

Salvini—who has served as federal secretary for right-wing group Lega Nord since December 2013—may also share some resentment that Higuain's scoring record at Milan was his worst at any Italian club. He scored eight times in 22 games for the Rossoneri but was more effective at Juve and Napoli, scoring 92 times in 147 games for the latter and 55 goals in 105 appearances for the former.

Now the Argentinian will hope to carry his success to the Premier League, where he's been reunited with former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri, the man under whom he netted a Serie A-record 36 goals in 2015-16.

BBC pundit Ruud Gullit expressed some concern Chelsea's tactics won't fit Higuain's style of play, and writer Ted Knutson was similarly worried the Blues' latest signing could flop:

Not new to criticism, Higuain has taken the latest batch of insults in his stride and appears eager to prove his detractors wrong by starting fresh in west London.