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Javier Hernandez praying before a match against Cardiff City in November 2013. Photo by Jon Candy- Wikimedia commons

Top 10 Facts about Javier Hernández

Javier Hernández Balcázar, also known as Chicharito and fondly referred to as the “little pea,” was born on 1st June 1988. “Little Pea” is a diminutive form of the nickname given to his father Javier Hernandez Gutierrez, who was known as ‘El Chicharo’ (the pea) in reference to his green eyes. He is a Mexican professional footballer who currently plays for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy.

Hernández made his senior club debut in 2006, at the age of 18, for Guadalajara, where he won the Primera División. Hernández joined Manchester United in 2010, becoming the club’s first Mexican player. During his five years at United, he made over 150 appearances. He scored 59 goals, winning two Premier League titles and reaching the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final, while also setting the then-league record for the fifth-best minutes-per-goal ratio (130.2).

Hernández left the club on loan to Real Madrid in 2014, and he signed a permanent deal with Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. Hernández returned to England two years later and signed with West Ham United. He joined Sevilla in 2019 before joining the LA Galaxy the following year.

Hernández is the country’s all-time leading goalscorer. He made his national team debut in a friendly against Colombia in September 2009. He has played for Mexico in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2014 FIFA World Cup, Copa América Centenario, 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, and 2018 FIFA World Cup.

He scored seven goals in the 2011 Gold Cup and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

1. He is the first Mexican to appear in a Champions League Final

In his debut season for Manchester United, Hernandez became the first Mexican player to appear in a UEFA Champions League final. He did not, however, finish on the winning side, despite contributing four goals to the Red Devils’ progress in the competition. Manchester United, however, fell 3-1 to Barcelona.

2. Hernández is a lethal goal poacher

Hernández, a clinical goal scorer, has been dubbed a “goal-poacher” because many of his goals have come from close range. His off-the-ball movement, pace, and ability to find space inside the box have all been praised. He has been compared to German striker Miroslav Klose’s playing style, as he is one of the few players who appear capable of appearing behind a defender’s back and knocking in the ball from two yards.

Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Völler praised Hernández’s goal-scoring positioning, saying that despite not being able to win every tackle, he had an incredible sense of where the ball ended up.

3. Chicharito’s father was a professional footballer

 Javier Hernández Gutiérrez, known as Chícharo is a retired Mexican footballer. Hernández previously played for Tecos, Puebla F.C., and Monarcas Morelia. In Tecos, he became one of the team’s most important players by being a team that reached the quarterfinals in the 1986-87 season and recently returned to the team to win the championship in the 1993-94 season.  He was a member of the Puebla F.C. squad that won the club’s second and final championship in 1989-1990. At the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, he made three appearances for Mexico’s Under-20 team.

4. He has played a cartoon character

Superman Logo Photo by Jon Tyson

Chicharito is also a cartoon character in the Mexican series Mucha Lucha. Shinji Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund and several other past and present world football stars appeared in the cartoon series. He told Futbol Total that he couldn’t miss anything on T.V, adding that he prefers superheroes such as Superman.

5. Hernández has scored  200 career goals to date

He shared an emotional highlight reel via Instagram on  9th September 2022 with a montage of all the goals scored throughout his illustrious career as a striker. This featured goals scored in all the football clubs he played for in North America and Europe with the most prominent tally being the 59 goals scored for Manchester United in England,39 goals for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, and his current return of 34 goals for L. A Galaxy in the United States Major League Soccer.

6. He signed his first professional contract at 15

Javier Hernández, Balcázar during the Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion. Photo by https://www.flickr.com/photos/gordonflood/- Wikimedia Commons

Hernández joined C.D. Guadalajara at the age of nine and signed his first professional contract when he was fifteen. He was scheduled to compete in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, but an injury forced him to miss out on the championship team.

In the 2005-06 season, Hernández joined C.D. Guadalajara’s lower-division team, “Chivas” Coras, in Tepic, Nayarit. In the 2006 Apertura, he made his debut for Guadalajara in a win over Club Necaxa at Estadio Jalisco. Hernández entered the game as a substitute for Omar Bravo in the 82nd minute and scored the game’s fourth goal five minutes later. In 2006-07, it was his only goal in seven games. In 2007-08, he made six more appearances without scoring. 

Hernández appeared in 10 games without scoring in the 2008 Apertura, but he scored four goals in 15 games in the 2009 Clausura. Hernández finished the 2009 Apertura as the joint-third highest scorer, with 11 goals in 17 appearances.

He began the Torneo Bicentenario 2010 with eight goals in five games. Despite missing five games due to injury, he finished as a joint leader in the Torneo Bicentenario goal scoring chart in 2010, with 10 goals in 11 games. He was also named the tournament’s best forward.

7. His idols are Hugo Sanchez and Rafael Marquez

These two players are arguably two of their generation’s most iconic Mexican players. Sánchez is widely regarded as the greatest Mexican footballer of all time, a prolific goalscorer known for his spectacular strikes and volleys. Márquez is regarded as the best defender in Mexico’s history and one of the best Mexican players of all time.

8. He is the Mexican ambassador for UNICEF

Emblem of the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund Photo by United Nations

On May 26, 2012, Hernández was appointed as Mexico’s UNICEF ambassador, becoming the third Mexican to hold the position, following César Costa and Julieta Venegas in 2004 and 2009, respectively. As an ambassador, he takes part in a variety of activities to encourage children and teenagers to continue their education. He was honored at a news conference, where he expressed his “proud and committed” feelings.

9. Chicharito has a calendar day dedicated to him

Javier Hernández Balcázar. Photo by Светлана Бекетова- Wikimedia Commons

Remember the following date: According to a group of social media followers, August 14 is Chicharito Day. A Facebook page called “Las Chicharitas 14” – 14 for his shirt number and August for being the only month with the same number of letters as his first name.

10. He has an estimated net worth of $30 million

Javier signed a contract in January 2020 that made him the highest-paid player in the MLS. His salary is $6 million per year. The signing team, the LA Galaxy, paid a record-breaking (for the MLS) $10 million transfer fee for the right to sign Javier.

Javier Hernández paid $5.6 million for a home in Beverly wood, Los Angeles. The house has six bedrooms and 6,555 square feet of living space. The contemporary home was built within the last year and sits on a quarter-acre lot. Chicharito has access to a pool, a spa, and a large grassy lawn for practicing his soccer skills. In addition, there is a two-car garage out front.