"I was really suffering" - Former Real Madrid and Chelsea striker Gonzalo Higuain slams 'toxic social media' after announcing retirement

Former Real Madrid and Chelsea striker Gonzalo Higuain recently announced that he will retire from professional football after the end of the current MLS season.

The Argentine has enjoyed a glittering career, representing top European clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea, Juventus and Napoli.

Higuain, however, slammed the toxic social media culture of football. He believes hate comments across various platforms are really hurtful and an individual could suffer due to those.

Higuain further added how his family came to his aid to help him go through tough situations. Here's what he said:

“There’s kind of toxic feeling around football on social media. You can’t imagine the damage that comments on social networks do. I was really suffering, my family helped me. So, people should think before attacking on social media - it’s really serious topic.”

Higuain is the current captain of Inter Miami. He joined the club in 2020 and has since scored 27 goals and assisted 11 more in 67 games for them.

The Argentine played 264 games for Real Madrid, scoring 121 goals and providing 56 assists in all competitions.

After leaving Madrid in 2013, Higuain spent three seasons at Napoli, scoring 91 goals and providing 26 assists in 146 games across all competitions.

Higuain joined Juventus in 2016, scoring 66 goals and providing 16 assists in 149 games. During his time at Juventus, he spent loan spells at AC Milan and Chelsea as well.

The player made 75 appearances for the Argentina national team and scored 31 goals.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti reacted to draw against Osasuna

Real Madrid CF vs. CA Osasuna - LaLiga Santander.

Osasuna brought an end to Real Madrid's 100% winning start to the season as they managed to get a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu on Monday. They slipped to second place in La Liga after the draw, behind Barcelona.

While talking to the media after the game, Los Blancos' manager Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged that it wasn't a good game for his side (via realmadrid.com):

"It wasn't a good game. We lacked intensity in the first half, with and without the ball. The defensive line didn't press enough. It was better in the second half, after the equalizer, in terms of intensity. I made the changes to freshen things up."

While discussing the goal his team conceded, the Italian added:

"The goal we conceded came from a pass from the center of the pitch and they had a few counter-attacks but they weren't very dangerous. We didn't play at a very intense pace, but the game was under control and we deserved to win."