Turin: An emotional, prematch embrace with Maurizio Sarri might not appease angry fans but could help Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain bury the hatchet with the Napoli coach who inspired him to break a 66-year-old Serie A scoring record.
Although Napoli failed to challenge Juventus for the title last season, Higuain’s 36-goal tally sent fans of the Azzurri into raptures.
Then he moved north to Turin for a record Italian transfer fee of 90m euros, and all hell broke loose.
From enjoying the kind of adoration reserved for the likes of the legendary Diego Maradona, who steered Napoli to their sole league titles in 1987 and 1990, Higuain became a pariah overnight.
In the birthplace of the ‘Margherita’, pizzas with Higuain’s effigy were replaced by one-euro pizzas — sold at a knock-down price if he suffered an injury with Juventus.
Sarri, who had been credited with pushing Higuain to break Gunnar Nordahl’s 1950 record of 35 goals in a season for AC Milan and regularly trumpeted the Argentine as “one of the best strikers in the world”, was bitterly disappointed that Higuain, after his move, “didn’t even call me”.
Sarri was still circumspect ahead of Juve’s 2-1 win over Napoli on Saturday, when Higuain hit a 70th minute winner to give the champions a five-point lead at the top of the table.
Asked how he would greet Higuain, he said: “In the same way a father would with a son who made him angry.”
But Higuain laid the foundations for a future entente — at least off the pitch — with a moving gesture minutes before kick-off.
He walked over to the touchlines and warmly embraced his former handler. Welcoming Higuain like a son, Sarri reciprocated the gesture as the pair were surrounded by dozens of watching media.
Whether it will be repeated on April 2 remains to be seen.
Napoli host Juventus a day after April Fool’s Day and the wrath of an entire city is likely to rain down on the 28-year-old striker.
