Football
8y

Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez form heralded by Bundesliga

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is having the best goal streak of his career, is close to becoming Mexico's all-time top goal scorer and the Bundesliga on Thursday heralded the 27-year-old's feats by putting him on the cover of their website.

Hernandez joined Leverkusen from Manchester United this summer and has since netted 10 goals in 14 appearances in all competitions for Bayer, with eight of those strikes coming in his last six games. No other player in the top five European leagues has scored more goals since he began his current streak.

Mexico's most renowned player scored 20 goals in his first year at Manchester United, after joining from Guadalajara in the summer of 2010, and was voted the club's Player of the Year as they won the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final.

The striker did not build on that success though and spent the 2014-15 campaign on loan at Real Madrid. Over the summer he signed his current three-year deal with Leverkusen.

"Football was completely my life when I was younger," Hernandez told bundesliga.com. "In fact, it still is. Ever since I was born I knew I was going to be a footballer: I was set on it. I loved going to the stadium to watch my dad and I was lucky enough that -- because he played -- I could experience the atmosphere first-hand on a regular basis."

Hernandez also scored in both of his last two games with El Tri, extending his international count to 42 goals, only five away of becoming Mexico's all-time top goal scorer.

The Bundesliga website has dedicated an entire fan sub-site to Hernandez, complete with 20 different stories plus videos, graphics, key tweets from his Twitter profile, 10 fun facts and even a photo gallery. Thursday's edition includes a feature about how he got his start in football.

"Almost all of my memories from a young age involve football in the stadium, either watching my dad play or just being there with my family," Hernandez told the site. "Obviously, I'd wear my dad's shirt when I was a kid, too. Football, and everything about it, has always dominated my life."

Hernandez's father, Javier Hernandez Gutierrez played in Mexico for Estudiantes Tecos, Puebla and Monarcas Morelia during his career from 1981-99 and earned 28 caps and scoring four goals for the Mexico national team -- including helping his country to quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup on home turf. Gutierrez got nicknamed "Chicharo," or "pea," for his green eyes.

On Wednesday, his former Manchester United teammate David De Gea told ESPN he does not know why Hernandez did not have a chance at Old Trafford in recent years and said that the Mexican would guarantee goals if he played.

Mexico play El Salvador on Friday at Estadio Azteca in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers and then face Honduras on Nov. 17.

^ Back to Top ^