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OPINION Higuain DIDN'T betray Napoli by moving to Juventus
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So it's true: Gonzalo Higuain has moved to Juventus. I really didn't think that Juventus would bet on an “elite” striker, but I was obviously wrong.
In light of this blockbuster transfer, I'd like to point out a few things.
- Napoli fans have reacted by calling Higuain a traitor. “He could have gone anywhere, why did he move to a historic rival? He didn't believe in the club's project, he could have at least let the fans know before he left. JUDAIN!”.
Look, they've done it again: Napoli fans have created a parallel universe, only they believe it's reality, just as when they believe that some Deus Ex Machina is conspiring against them. It would be funny if it wasn't so pathological.
- Who or what has Higuain betrayed, exactly? We're talking of a professional, an excellent striker, one who is tired of not winning anything and wants to be a part of a serious project. Should we really be blaming him for that? The sooner Napoli fans can realize that football is a professional business, that acquisitions and departures are a daily occurrence, the sooner they'll accept it and grow up, both as a fanbase and as a mentality.
- What project is Higuain supposed to have jilted? We're talking of a team that has struggled to buy the likes of Candreva, Vrsaljko, Widmer, Tolisso, Herrera and Zielinski, to name a few.
Higuain understood that Napoli no longer have any appeal, and opted to leave. And anyway, his brother had already warned fans when he claimed that he “wouldn't renew a deal, as we're disappointed by the club not keeping its promises with regards to strengthening the squad”. How could he have been clearer?
- Are Juventus really a historic rival? The two clubs are separated by something like 30 Scudetti, just because Napoli have come second a couple of times and were the last side to be overtaken last year is not enough to call this a rivalry. This is something in Napoli fans' heads, and it wasn't up to Higuain to take it into consideration.
Let's sum it up: this isn't supporting a club, this isn't defending one's city, it's simply the conflation of loving Naples and believing in the club's long-term plans.
Adapted by @EdoDalmonte
