Gonzalo Higuain's decision to leave Napoli for bitter rivals Juventus did not go down well in Naples. Some Partenopei supporters burned their No.9 jerseys; others flushed them down the toilet. Meanwhile, one Neapolitan restaurant promised its patrons Margherita pizzas for just €1 when their former idol suffered his first injury in Turin. Customers might now be entitled to at least enquire about a discount because while Higuain is not technically injured, he is certainly not fit to play.
The €90 million man made his first appearance in a Juventus shirt on Sunday - it did not flatter him. Higuain looked overweight, prompting widespread ridicule on social media networks.
Aurelio De Laurentiis must have afforded himself a wry smile. In February of this year, he accused the striker of being a kilo and a half overweight. "It’s like running with a block of concrete," the Napoli president sniped.
Higuain is, as Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri has previously stated, a "sensitive" soul. He does not always react well to criticism and he was not best pleased at being publicly mocked by his president - particularly as nobody was doing more than he to sustain the Partenopei's Scudetto challenge. Indeed, the barb played a key part in the complete capitulation of the pair's relationship.
However, there is no denying that Higuain is prone to piling on the pounds. He acknowledged that himself last summer when confronted by Sarri at Napoli's pre-season training camp at Dimaro. "You're too lazy," the coach stated. "If you don't change your attitude, you won't become the best centre forward in the world."
Credit to Higuain, he took the blunt assessment of his physical and mental state square on the chin, redoubling his efforts in training, changing his diet and ultimately shedding four kilograms before the start of what would be the season of his life.
Indeed, it was Higuain's heroics last term that persuaded Juventus to pay a staggering €90m for a player who will turn 29 later this year. The former Real Madrid man broke the single-season Serie A goalscoring record by netting 36 times in just 35 matches - but he looked nothing like a lean, mean goal machine during his cameo appearance against the Hammers.
With the start of the Serie A season less than a fortnight away, that was both surprising and disappointing. Massimiliano Allegri insisted that he was unconcerned by his new No.9's physical condition.
"Gonzalo played a good game in spite of the fact that he is a little bit behind in terms of fitness," the Juventus told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "He's like the others that returned late from the Euros: they're a bit behind the rest.
"At the moment, we have two groups that are working at different speeds but this is normal.
"Besides, Gonzalo showed his quality in three or four passages of play. He just has to get to know his team-mates better - and vice versa.
"I don't think he's under any pressure, though. He started working with us 10 days ago and he's training well.
"The important thing is to have a group of high-quality attackers so that we can give him time to work away."
On the evidence of Sunday, he will certainly need some extra sessions to get up to speed. Indeed, it seems unlikely that Higuain will start Juve's league opener against Fiorentina on Saturday week - particularly with Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza looking sharper and in better shape than their new colleague. All three netted in the 3-2 win in London and Dybala issued a mild warning to his compatriot afterwards.
"Gonzalo is a 'bomber', and it's not just me saying it," the 22-year-old told the Gazzetta. "He scored 36 goals last year, setting a new Serie A record. We hope we can help him score a lot, and that he can help us in the championship in return.
"Of course, it's going to be much more difficult for him here at Juve, because there's a great deal of competition. Mario is in good condition too and he's proving it."
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