Gonzalo Higuain: The Next Victim of Florentino Perez's Marketing Machine

In what was probably his last game as a Real Madrid player in the Santiago Bernabeu, Gonzalo Higuain was again the catalyst as Los Merengues took the La Liga race to the final game of the season next week after topping Athletic Bilbao in Madrid Saturday.

As has happened many times since arriving at the club in 2007, Higuain was full of life while leading the line, and won Madrid a penalty in the first half, but was forced to give way to Cristiano Ronaldo who took his chance to equal Higuain, however briefly, as the club’s top scorer. (Ronaldo has scored four penalties and missed one; Higuain has not even attempted a penalty despite being the club’s main taker last season.)

Gonzalo continued to be a constant thorn in the side of the Basque side, forcing Gorka Iraizoz into a number of saves, although it is fair to say his finishing did let him down on more than one occasion.

Despite being frustrated, Higuain persevered and finally gave his team the advantage in the second half when he pounced at the far post to open the flood gates for a 5-1 Madrid route.

While Ronaldo gets all the headlines and sells all the shirts, Higuain has consistently been Real Madrid’s best player this season, coming through in the clutch when “CR9” was out injured. One example of this would be the massive victory against Valencia in the Mestalla with two goals, or the only goal in a win against Racing in the Bernabeu.

Unfortunately for Higuain, he is not a signing of Florentino Perez and is not considered to have the “star power” of the likes of Ronaldo, the disappointing Karim Benzema, or the even more lackluster Kaka.

This lack of marketability left Higuain as the scapegoat for Madrid's Champions League exit in Marca, a publication that is practically a spokesperson for Perez’s regime, and the supposed “bad guy” in his publicized feud with Ronaldo, which emerged following that infamous loss to Lyon.

No one is denying that Higuain has yet to shine at the Champions League level, but for the second straight season, Higuain looks set to finish as the club's top scorer in La Liga, but it does not appear that the former River Plate star is in the future plans of the club.

One would think that Real Madrid would have learned their lesson by watching Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben lead Inter and Bayern Munich, respectively, to the Champions League Final that football games are won on the pitch, not in the gift shops around the stadium (perhaps the only area in which Kaka has contributed this season).

As great as the two Dutchmen have been for their clubs, Argentines Walter Samuel and Esteban Cambiasso are two other Real Madrid discards, though both left over five years ago. 

Samuel Eto'o will be looking to add his third Champions League crown after never being given a full chance by Los Blancos and racking up the trophies and goals. 

Many clubs can be guilty of seeing their former players perform better after they leave, but for a giant of the European game such as Real Madrid it is inexcusable that no less than five "rejects" are  contesting the European Cup Final while Perez watches in person at the Bernabeu (this year's final takes place in Madrid). 

Not only does the imminent dismissal of Higuain show a lack of football sense by the club, but a lack of loyalty to Higuain who has given so much since they brought him from River during the middle of the 2006-2007 season. 

Admittedly a slow starter in European football, Higuain still scored the goal that clinched Los Blancos the La Liga title in 2007 and was also on target in the legendary 4-1 route of Barcelona a year later.

In the 2008-2009 season, Higuain exploded for 22 league goals carrying Madrid, along with Robben, down the stretch under coach Juande Ramos, another Madrid castoff. 

Set to partner Lionel Messi in Argentina’s attack this summer at the World Cup, El Pipita will clearly demand a hefty contract, especially if his summer ends in World Cup glory.

At the moment, Higuain is one of the lowest paid players in Madrid and the club has shown no intention of paying him his desired salary of 4.5 million euros per season (the same salary as Benzema who has scored just eight goals this season compared to 27 by Higuain), a number a club like Chelsea or Manchester United will be more than happy to pay for one of the most efficient strikers in the world.

Higuain has taken just 88 shots on the season, compared to over 200 by Ronaldo, who has escaped any criticism from Marca and the rest of the Madrid press.

It is not to say that Ronaldo has been poor; he has been spectacular at times. But while Higuain is labeled as an underachiever in big occasions and selfish at times (albeit both are true in certain occasions), Ronaldo has been equally culpable, if not more so. 

Whether Higuain's expected exodus is a result of Perez, Ronaldo, or a combination of the two, no one will be surprised if El Pipita repeats the feat achieved by Robben and Sneijder by making it further in the Champions League than “Los Galacticos.”