Gonzalo Higuain and His 75 Kilo Diet in Italy

Behind the goals and celebrations of the best strikers in the world, there's a lot of work and dedication. This is the plan that Higuaín had to fulfill in order to remain at the top of his career.

Reviewed and approved by the doctor Leonardo Biolatto.

Written by Fernando Clementin

Last update: 16 May, 2023

Gonzalo Higuaín, a striker who played in the best teams in the world, announced his retirement from professional soccer in March 2019. In addition to his great achievements, his career also included times of sheer effort and resilience, such as when he had to comply with the 75 kg diet.

The French-Argentine striker wore the kit of top clubs, such as River Plate, Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan, among others. At a certain time in his career, he was criticized for being overweight, forcing him to adjust his diet, which, fortunately, gave him good results.

What is the 75-kilo diet?

Gonzalo Higuaín’s 75-kilo diet isn’t an eating plan as such, like the paleo or keto diets. This diet was designed for the specific needs of the soccer player, who at the time was playing for Juventus in Italy.

The premise of this diet was that Higuaín, who is 1.84 meters tall, shouldn’t go over 75 kilos in weight. This diet plan was implemented by the player since his arrival at Juventus in 2017, but it was in 2019 that it came to light publicly in Italy.

Hovering around that weight, the striker reached his best playing levels with the vechia signora shirt. In his last season with the Italian side, when his fitness was most questioned, he scored 12 goals and had 10 assists in 53 games, and he didn’t play all of them in full.

Dietary changes of Gonzalo Higuain’s 75 kg diet

Body weight is one of the most important indicators -but not the only one- when assessing an athlete’s physical shape. It’s directly related to physical build and height. Based on these parameters, a person’s ideal weight can be calculated.

It’s clear that the requirements for athletes are a bit more demanding. However, certain well-known practices can have remarkable results, as was the case with Gonzalo Higuain’s 75-kilo diet.

These are some of the recommendations he followed to reach his goal:

• Elimination of saturated fats: Although these can be good for health in moderate amounts, the player had to eliminate them from his diet to control his weight.
• Restriction or decrease of carbohydrates: When they aren’t used as energy, these nutrients accumulate as fat. That’s why Gonzalo Higuain needed to reduce their consumption as much as possible.
• Increased protein intake: In addition to being important for the body, proteins are key for the development of muscle mass.

Why do some people gain weight easier?

There are certain people who, due to their genetics and metabolism, have a tendency to put on more weight than others. It could be said that Gonzalo Higuaín, as well as many other sportsmen, is in that group. This forced him to have to look after himself more than other soccer players as time went by.

Although genetics has a lot to do with this predisposition, other factors can be adjusted to avoid gaining weight. Of course, one of them is diet, as well as the regular practice of physical exercise.

Other factors that also influence weight gain are stress and anxiety, according to a study published in the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine. Lastly, when the intestinal microbiota, that is, the microorganisms that live in the intestines, changes, then the person is also likely to gain weight.

Gonzalo Higuaín: a striker that soccer will miss

With 333 goals in more than 700 games played – including the 2014 World Cup final with the Argentina National Team – Gonzalo Higuaín has earned his place among the best players of recent years. Even in his last seasons in the United States league, the MLS, he put in some excellent performances.

He always competed for a place in teams with such great stars as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. In addition, he left behind an example of sacrifice and discipline in the sport. A true crack, as they say in many countries!