Gonzalo Higuain says the more people call him fat, the more goals he will score for Juventus this season after scoring the winner on his competitive debut for the Serie A champions.
Higuain's weight and fitness in preseason attracted plenty of attention following his €90 million move from Napoli this summer, with even Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri admitting his record signing is "not in shape yet" following Saturday's 2-1 win over Fiorentina.
But the Argentina international says the criticism does not bother him. In fact, he feels inspired by it.
"They say I'm fat? It's best if they keep on saying that, then I'll score goals in every game," Higuain told reporters at the Juventus Stadium after the match.
"Say what you want about my physical appearance but I'm feeling good and I'm delighted with this first goal which decided our first game. I've been in training for 20 days and I know I can improve my shape, but I never had any doubts about myself."
Higuain needed just nine minutes to make an impact after coming from the bench to earn Juve their first win of the season against the Viola.
"You dream of nights like these," he said. "Everybody dreams of being able to do what they want to do and scoring a goal is the maximum, for the whole team and for the fans.
"When you are getting warmed up and you hear the fans there, singing your name; when you feel that the fans support you like this, it gives you even more determination inside. My goal is also for them.
"Starting with three points can only do us good, but we all know there are 37 games still to come so we need to keep calm. Certainly I know that I am in an extremely well-organised, strong team with a winning mentality."