Napoli's Maurizio Sarri 'happy' for Gonzalo Higuain at Juventus
Sunday 30 October 2016 14:32, UK
Napoli head coach Maurizio Sarri labelled Gonzalo Higuain a "phenomenon" and said he is happy for him despite watching him score the winner against his former side on Saturday.
Higuain netted the decisive goal in the 70th minute as Juventus beat Napoli 2-1 in Serie A.
There was no celebration from the striker, whose £73.5m summer move from Naples to Turin angered fans.
And Sarri had nothing but praise for Higuain, whom he shared a warm embrace with before the match.
"He is a phenomenon, a loose ball at Gonzalo's feet means certain death for defenders," Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.
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"If Gonzalo wins something in Europe, I am happy for him. Less so for Juve, but I'll be happy for him."
Speaking before the match, Sarri had said he would greet Higuain 'like a son who made him angry'.
But he added afterwards: "When you get angry with a child you continue to love him. He has only done good things for me, and despite his move to Juve I still have a lot of affection for him.
"I'm sure in 10 years' time we'll still be talking."
Former Napoli player Diego Maradona was not so unforgiving towards Higuain in a video message recorded on his website.
"I am not a traitor," he said. "I don't care what Higuain did, he can continue along his way, I really don't care. I am relaxed because I have never betrayed the Napoli jersey. My heart is Neapolitan."
