Federico Higuain to retire after the 2021 MLS season

Inter Miami player Federico Higuain has announced his retirement from football, ending his 18-year professional career at the conclusion of the 2021 MLS  season. 

The midfielder, who MLS newcomer of the year in 2012 when he first arrived at Columbus Crew, signed for Inter Miami October 2020 after being acquired on a trade from D.C. United.

He joined younger brother Gonzalo Higuain on the expansion team’s roster and they became the first pair of siblings to score in the same Major League Soccer match after accomplishing the feat in a 2-1 victory against the Philadelphia Union on April 24.

“I would love to play for my entire life,” said the 37-year-old, during the press conference in which his Inter Miami teammates filed into the room to salute him with multiple ovations. “But this is how football is, this is how life is. Everything has an end.

“There is nothing left but to thank all the clubs that gave me the opportunity to develop as a footballer, all the people I worked with, all those who have helped me, those who have taught me to think about this game fundamentally,” Higuain continued.

He added that he hopes to continue his soccer career as a coach or team staffer with Miami or another club in MLS he’s made his home over the past decade.

“I feel part of it and in the next chapter in my life, I hope I can continue to be linked to it," he said.

Higuain has 60 goals and 67 assists in 231 career MLS matches with the Columbus Crew (2012-19), D.C. United (2020) and Inter Miami. He was  also named Major League Soccer Newcomer of the Year in 2012.

Inter Miami currently sit in 11th place on the Eastern Conference table. It is very unlikely the South Florida side can qualify for the postseason tournament, concluding their season on November 7 against the New England Revolution.