Chicharito

BIOGRAPHY

Javier "Chicharito" Hernández Balcázar was born on June 1, 1988 in Guadalajara, Mexico. He is a striker in Major League Soccer.

Hernández began his career in 2006, playing for Mexican club Guadalajara. In July 2010, he became the first Mexican player to join Manchester United, scoring 20 goals and winning the Premier League in his debut season, as well as playing in the final of the UEFA Champions League. He spent the 2014–15 season on loan at Real Madrid. In August 2015, Hernández signed for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. After two seasons in Germany, Hernández returned to the Premier League and joined West Ham United. His minutes-per-goal ratio is among the most prolific in the history of the Premier League. Having garnered over 60 appearances for West Ham, Hernández returned to Spain with Sevilla in September 2019, only to depart four months later to join LA Galaxy.

On January 21, 2020, Hernández signed a three-year contract with Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy, and became the highest paid player in the league. He made his MLS debut on February 29th in a 1–1 draw against Houston Dynamo, captaining the team and playing the entirety of the match. On July 13th he scored his first goal for the club against Portland Timbers, which ended in a 2–1 loss.

A Mexican international, Hernández is the country's all-time leading goalscorer. He made his debut for the national team in September 2009 in a friendly match against Colombia. He has represented Mexico at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Copa América Centenario, the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He was the 2011 Gold Cup's top scorer with seven goals and was named the most valuable player of the tournament.