From nearly quitting soccer to starting a Champions League final in a handful of months, Hernandez's most impressive attribute is his humility.
Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez is so good, he doesn't even need to touch the ball to score anymore.
In
the fledgling minutes of a friendly against Serbia, Hernandez darted
toward the near side to meet a Carlos Salcido cross with defender
Slobodan Rajkovic close behind. Neither made contact with the ball
though they were a mere pea's width away. That so surprised goalkeeper
Vladimir Stojkovic, who had moved to his right to cover the near post,
he allowed the ball to trickle in on his left.
Even as Mexico waltzed and whirled to an impressive 2-0 win ("We played free, we played calm," Salcido said according to Medio Tempo),
to Serbia's credit the defense tightened after that. Stojkovic snapped
out of his daze to pull off a number of solid blocks, and the backline
took turns figuring out who could kick Hernandez as high in the air as
possible.
Manchester City defender Aleksandar Kolarov won that
particular competition. Though Branislav Ivanovic also collected a
yellow for a rough challenge, Kolarov stupidly shoved Hernandez in the
box to earn his second caution.
Chicharito slid home the penalty in the 87th
minute and then coach Jose Manuel 'Chepo' de la Torre yanked him out of
the game in case any other Serbian defenders tried to one-up Kolarov.
De
la Torre had left the Manchester United striker in the match as long as
he could, knowing El Tri needed the insurance goal with Serbia
wrestling back possession in the second half. The win marked Chepo's
first on home soil (admittedly, his chances have been limited: an
agreement with Soccer United Marketing sees Mexico play five friendlies a
year in the United States) and was Mexico's first home win against a
European opponent in 17 years.
Javier Hernandez Chicharito
For Hernandez, the penalty marked his 23rd goal in 25 international
starts (33 appearances total). He scores for El Tri once every 96.8
minutes of field-time.
Really, his goalscoring record is the
only scandalous aspect of the 23-year-old. This is a player who, when he
traveled to the World Cup in 2010, still lived with his parents and
studied business administration at Universidad del Valle de Atemajac.
The city of Manchester is rife with stories of his random acts of
kindness, including giving a signed jersey and poster to the son of a
women who helped him overcome the language barrier at a shop.
"I will always be the same kid, with my feet always on the ground," he told ESPN after signing with United. "I am, first and foremost, a human being."
Hernandez
is the anti-Balotelli – the calm, kind kid who somehow becomes even
more polite and respectful as the zeros add up in his bank account (he
signed a new five-year deal with the Red Devils in October). He's the
goalscorer with gaudy stats who somehow isn't greedy.
"I scored a
goal but it is Manchester United that scored," Hernandez said after
notching the equalizer in a 1-1 tie against Liverpool on Oct. 15. "It
doesn’t matter who scored the goals. There are no heroes here."
Perhaps
not, but Hernandez is certainly beloved in Mexico if the feminine
shrieks when he scored against Serbia are anything to go by.
Hernandez
started playing for Chivas in his hometown of Guadalajara at 9 years
old. He signed his first contract at 15, but up until then his father,
Javier 'Chicharo' Hernandez (the son derives his nickname and piercing
green eyes from his sire), didn't think his boy would take up the family
profession.
Chicharito's maternal grandfather, Tomas Balcazar,
scored five goals in four qualifying matches to lead Mexico to the 1954
World Cup. There, he notched against France at 22 years of age.
Hernandez senior played for El Tri in the 1986 World Cup.
But if
the three generations of Mexican strikers seems predestined now
(Hernandez the younger symmetrically scored against France in the World
Cup at 22 years of age), it wasn't always assured. Chicharito didn't
make the Mexico roster that won the U17 World Cup in 2005 with attacking
talent like Carlos Vela and Giovani Dos Santos. At 20, Chicharito
considered dropping soccer altogether to concentrate on his university
studies. He saw younger players pass him into the full team and wondered
if he had a future as a starter.
Talks with his agent, parents,
grandparents and girlfriend eventually reminded him that soccer was his
passion, and he decided to continue.
That year, he went on to
score 21 goals in 28 games for Chivas. Less than 12 months later, he was
on a plane to watch Manchester United face Bayern Munich in the
quarterfinals of the Champions League, meet Sir Alex Ferguson and sign
for the Red Devils.
Javier Hernandez Chicharito
United was presciently eager to tie down the prodigy before he excelled
in South Africa and demanded secrecy in the deal so that no Spanish
teams could scupper it, meaning Chicharito told his grandfather he was
flying to Atlanta on holiday up until a day before he left. Balcazar
says he burst into tears and nearly had a heart-attack upon learning of
the deal.
The entire family, grandpops included, moved to
England with Chicharito. Earlier, Chicharo had quit his job as Chivas
reserve team manager when the club didn't grant him time off to watch
his son in the World Cup. "Work is secondary," he explained.
Like
the Bluths, family comes first for the Hernandezes. However, Chicharito
knows how to get down to business as well. He scored 20 goals in all
competitions his first season in England, with Ferguson crediting the
Mexican's form for dropping Premier League top scorer Dimitar Berbatov;
Hernandez started the Champions League final with the Bulgarian in the
stands.
Chicharito's clinical edge is one of the main reasons Mexico has retaken control in CONCACAF
after nearly a decade of U.S. dominance. Hernandez scored seven goals
in six games to finish top scorer and MVP of the latest Gold Cup, which
Mexico won.
The Americans have lacked incision up top ever since
Charlie Davies' automobile accident scythed the striker down before his
prime. In his stead, the burly Jozy Altidore has led the line with a
bluntness that contrasts with the razor runs of Hernandez, who posted
the top speed of any player at the 2010 World Cup at 32.15
kilometers/hour (nearly 20 miles/hour).
Aside from pace,
Chicharito's movement flummoxes defensive lines and his gentleness is
belied by sheer ruthlessness in front of goal. In the Premier League,
Hernandez puts 62 percent of his shots on target. Of his 17 league
goals, three have come from his left foot, eight from his right and six
from headers. Even at only 5-feet, 9-inches, Hernandez is adept at using
his noggin, not to mention his impressive vert.
"You think, OK, here's this little midget," Jesus Padilla, Hernandez's teammate at Chivas for three years, told the New York Times. "But he's got some serious hops. He's amazing in the air."
As
youth players in the Guadalajara system, Padilla showed more promise.
Instead his middling career has meandered, taking him to Major League
Soccer and the Mexican second tier on loan deals, while Hernandez
matured into the continent's biggest star. If you had told the future to
a teenaged Chicharito, he probably wouldn't have believed you.
"Suddenly
I'm going to be playing with the players I know from PlayStation and
television," Hernandez said when he signed for Manchester United. "I'm
living in a dream."
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