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Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Major League Soccer club Inter Miami on Friday signed Argentine star striker Gonzalo Higuain as a designated player. Higuain, 32, joins the David Beckham-owned franchise after he spent the 2019-2020 season with Italian Serie A club Juventus, where he played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
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"First of all, I want to thank Inter Miami for the effort it has made to sign me," Higuain said in a news release. "I think it will be a beautiful experience in my life. It's what I was looking for -- a new experience, a new league and a beautiful city.
"I'm really happy to be here and that it's official. My goal is to try to transmit all the experience I acquired in Europe and to help the team grow."
Higuain will join the MLS club and fill an international roster spot after completion of a mandatory quarantine period. He will wear No. 9.
The striker has been named to the Serie A Team of the Year three times. He has three La Liga titles and three Serie A championships, in addition to many other international honors. Higuain holds the record for the most goals in a single Serie A season with 36 from his 2015-2016 campaign.
He scored 66 goals and had 16 assists in 149 career appearances for Juventus.
He also has 31 goals in 75 international appearances for the Argentina national team, where he played alongside Lionel Messi. Higuain has also played for River Plate, Real Madrid, Napoli, Milan and Chelsea. He has 306 scores in 640 career contests.
Higuain will play alongside Blaise Matuidi at Inter Miami, who also was his teammate during his tenure with Juventus. Higuain also played alongside Beckham during his 2006-2007 campaign with Real Madrid.
"I feel good," Higuain said. "I feel whole as a player. I'm motivated to try a new league and help the team grow. Individually, my goal is to demonstrate that I can contribute and continue playing great [soccer] here and I hope I can achieve that because I have all the tools necessary to succeed.
"Inter Miami is a team in construction but there is already a good base to reach important goals."
Inter Miami battles Atlanta United at 7 p.m. EDT Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The club is in its first season as an MLS expansion franchise.
