'Mourinho convinced me to stay,' says Higuaín

Argentine centre-forward Gonzalo Higuaín admitted that he decided to stay with Real Madrid after coach José Mourinho assured him in a meeting that he still has a big role to play with “Los Merengues.”

The former River Plate player was linked with clubs such as Juventus, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain over the past months, but Higuaín has no intention to leave Spain’s capital city.

“The fact Mourinho talked to me and the support of my family and my teammates gave me strength to stay on,” the striker, who netted 22 goals in 35 appearances in 2011-12, stated at a press conference.

"This year I'm able to start work at the beginning of the pre-season and I'm really looking forward to it. I feel strong. I'm as excited as the first day I arrived here and looking forward to winning titles.

"I will fight as I fought the first day I arrived. I'm headstrong and I don't regret anything I've done here."