Gian Piero Gasperini believes Donyell Malen can break Gonzalo Higuain Serie A goalscoring record. The AS Roma coach has been impressed by the Dutch forward, who has already scored five goals in the opening two league matches of the season.
Gasperini backs Malen to challenge Higuain Serie A scoring record
Donyell Malen has made an extraordinary start to the new Serie A season and AS Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini believes the Dutch forward is capable of challenging one of the most famous scoring records in Italian football. After finding the net 14 times in 18 league appearances last season, Malen has begun the new campaign in even more impressive fashion, scoring five goals in his first two Serie A matches. That remarkable early return has already generated comparisons with Gonzalo Higuain, who scored 36 league goals for Napoli in the 2015/16 season, a total that has remained the benchmark for a single Serie A campaign ever since.
Gasperini is not trying to reduce expectations around his striker. On the contrary, the Roma coach openly admitted that he would not be surprised if Malen eventually surpassed the 36-goal mark. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he made clear just how highly he rates the Netherlands international and suggested that the way Roma are now using him could allow the forward to become even more decisive in front of goal. "If he breaks Higuain record of 36 goals, it would not surprise me," Gasperini said, an ambitious prediction considering the level of consistency required to approach such a figure over an entire Serie A season.
Malen current numbers help explain the optimism. His 14 goals from only 18 league appearances last season already demonstrated that he could score regularly in Italian football, while five goals from the first two matches of the new campaign have taken his recent Serie A record to an exceptional level. It is still extremely early in the season and Gasperini knows that maintaining such a scoring rate across an entire campaign is a completely different challenge, but the coach clearly believes Malen possesses the movement, speed and finishing qualities necessary to remain among the leading scorers in the competition.
Gasperini explains what makes Malen so dangerous
When asked what he considers to be Malen strongest quality, Gasperini focused on something very specific: the speed and purpose of his first few touches. The Roma coach believes the forward is particularly dangerous because he does not require many actions before creating a shooting opportunity. "His first touch creates space for himself. With the second, he sets himself up, and with the third, he shoots," Gasperini explained. That ability to move rapidly from receiving possession to finishing an attack has become one of the main reasons Malen has been so effective since arriving in Italy.
Gasperini then explained how he tried to make that quality even more productive by ensuring Malen receives the ball in areas closer to goal. "Then I thought to myself: if I can get those three touches closer to goal, he becomes deadly. And that is exactly what has happened." The reasoning is straightforward but important. Rather than asking Malen to repeatedly receive possession far from the penalty area and carry the ball towards goal, Roma have increasingly tried to place him in positions where his first touch can immediately create a shooting angle and where only a small number of actions are required before he can finish.
That adjustment appears to have suited Malen particularly well. A forward with his direct style becomes significantly more dangerous when receiving possession near the penalty area because defenders have less time to recover once he creates separation. His five goals in the opening two matches are the clearest indication that the approach is working, while his record from last season had already shown that he was capable of adapting quickly to Serie A.
Record set by Higuain remains the reference point
The target mentioned by Gasperini is one of the most recognised scoring achievements in modern Serie A history. Higuain reached 36 league goals for Napoli during the 2015/16 campaign, setting a record that has continued to stand despite the presence of many elite strikers in Italian football since then. Reaching that figure requires not only exceptional finishing but also durability, consistency and the ability to continue scoring through different phases of a season.
Malen would need to maintain an extraordinary level over many months to reach or surpass that total, but Gasperini remarks show that the idea is no longer considered completely unrealistic inside Roma. Starting with five goals from two matches naturally gives the Dutchman an early advantage, although the real challenge will come when the schedule becomes more demanding and opponents increasingly adjust their defensive approach to his movement.
For Roma, the comparison with Higuain is also a reflection of how quickly Malen status has changed. He initially arrived from Aston Villa on loan, but his performances convinced the Italian club to move rapidly towards a permanent agreement. Roma soon announced their intention to activate the €25 million purchase option included in the deal, securing a player who now appears central to Gasperini attacking plans.
Roma quickly decided to make Malen permanent
The decision to exercise the option underlined the confidence Roma developed in Malen shortly after his arrival. Rather than waiting until the end of the loan period to make a final assessment, the club chose to secure his future after seeing the impact he was capable of making in Serie A. The €25 million investment now looks increasingly significant given the forward scoring record and the importance Gasperini has placed on him.
Malen is contracted to Roma until 2030, giving both player and club long-term stability. From the clubs perspective, that agreement provides the opportunity to build part of the attack around a forward who has already adapted to the league and whose performances suggest there may still be further improvement to come. For Malen, the move has offered a role in which his strengths are being used in a particularly direct way, with Gasperini attempting to position him closer to goal and reduce the number of actions required before he can shoot.
The numbers from his first months in Italy support that strategy. Fourteen league goals from 18 appearances last season represented an excellent return, and the start to the current campaign has only increased expectations. Five goals from two matches is not a pace that can reasonably be expected to continue indefinitely, but it has been enough for Gasperini to publicly raise the possibility of a record-breaking season.
Gasperini still wants more despite the goals
The Roma coach praise, however, came with an important warning. Gasperini does not want Malen to become satisfied simply because he has already scored once or twice during a match. He believes the striker must maintain the same intensity and desire regardless of how successful he has already been during the game, identifying that mentality as one of the main areas in which the Dutchman can still improve.
"He has to keep that hunger, even if he has already scored two goals in a match. You are allowed to make mistakes, but there are different ways of making them. Against Lecce, for example, he was a little too casual," Gasperini said. His criticism was not aimed at Malen finishing ability but at maintaining concentration and ambition throughout the full match. For a coach prepared to mention the possibility of 36 or more goals, that demand is understandable: records of that level are built not only through spectacular performances but through continually taking opportunities even when a match already appears comfortable.
The reference to the Lecce game showed that Gasperini is still analysing Malen critically despite his exceptional scoring form. The coach appears determined to prevent the early praise from reducing the players hunger, especially at a time when attention around the striker is increasing rapidly. From Gasperini perspective, the challenge is not simply to keep Malen scoring but to help him become even more ruthless when opportunities arrive.
Malen growing into central role at Roma
The Dutchman development has given Roma a forward capable of becoming one of the defining figures of their season. His goals last year already established him as an important attacking option, but the opening weeks of the new campaign suggest his role could become even greater. Gasperini comments indicate that the coach now sees Malen not simply as a player in good form but as someone whose characteristics can shape the way Roma attack.
By placing him closer to goal, Roma are trying to maximise the qualities Gasperini identified: the first touch to create space, the second to prepare the finish and the third to shoot. It is a simple sequence, but one that has proven extremely difficult for defenders to stop when Malen receives possession in dangerous positions. The more often Roma can create those situations, the greater the likelihood that the Dutchman can maintain a high scoring rate.
At the same time, expectations will inevitably rise with every goal. A striker who begins a season with five goals in two games quickly becomes a focal point for opponents, who will increasingly prepare specifically to reduce the space available to him. How Malen responds to that attention may ultimately determine whether the discussion about Higuain record continues deep into the season or remains simply a reflection of an extraordinary opening run.
Record talk comes with a long season still ahead
Gasperini understands that the season is only beginning, but his willingness to mention Higuain record publicly says a great deal about the confidence he has in Malen. Thirty-six Serie A goals is an exceptional standard and one that very few players have been able even to approach. Yet after watching the forward score consistently last season and begin the new campaign with five goals almost immediately, the Roma coach sees enough quality to believe the possibility deserves to be taken seriously.
The next challenge for Malen is therefore consistency. He has already demonstrated that he can score heavily over a relatively short period, but breaking a league record demands production across an entire campaign. Injuries, rotation, changes in form and the increasingly detailed attention of opposing defenders will all test his ability to remain decisive. Gasperini, however, appears convinced that the technical foundations are already there.
Roma decision to secure him permanently now looks increasingly important. What began as a loan from Aston Villa has developed into a long-term commitment, with €25 million set to be invested and Malen tied to the club until 2030. The early return has been impressive, and the relationship with Gasperini appears to be helping the forward become even more efficient in front of goal.
Whether he can eventually reach Higuain historic total remains impossible to predict after only two league matches, but the fact that Gasperini is willing to discuss the record illustrates just how impressive Malen has been. Fourteen goals in 18 Serie A appearances last season have been followed by five in two this time around, and the Roma coach believes there is still more to come. If Malen maintains the hunger Gasperini is demanding, the battle for the Serie A scoring crown could become one of the major stories of the season.
