Life after Manchester United is not kind to many as it’s one of the pinnacles of club football but for Javier Hernandez, it has turned particularly sour.
Javier Hernandez, affectionately known among fans as Chicharito, played for Manchester United for six years, from 2010 to 2015, during which he won the Premier League and made a reputation of being the perfect poacher.
He would be regularly subbed on and get goals for United that won the team points, and his endearing personality and instinctive style of play made him a fan favourite.
His spell at Old Trafford ended with a whimper when Louis Van Gaal sold him but he rebuilt his career decently, playing, and succeeding for Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham United, and Sevilla, before leaving Europe.
His time at LA Galaxy was good too, but the true romantic move is the one he made this year as he returned to the club where it all began– Chivas Guadalajara.
That romantic homecoming, however, has quickly turned into a nightmare.
Chicharito’s nightmare homecoming
Hernandez joined Guadalajara in January 2024 on a two-year contract to remarkable fan acclaim as he’s regarded as one of the greatest Mexican players of all time.
Furthermore, he wasn’t coming back as a spent force trying to live out his final playing days back home, he could genuinely still contribute.
Joining in the middle of the season, he made ten 12 appearances in all competitions but scored only once, as he struggled to get into match rhythm.
That’s when the problems started, as one injury after another has never allowed him to kick on and get a consistent run of minutes in his legs.
MX Futbol reports that after his latest setback, Chicharito has been hammered, with the national press calling him retired.
Álvaro Morales, ESPN Mexico host, said: “How many elite Mexican forwards have broken through at 35 years old? The best record is Hugo Sanchez, the others were already retired. Chicharito is no longer a footballer, unfortunately, he is an ex-footballer.”
They are questioning Guadalajara’s motivation for buying him as only commercial because he hasn’t been able to justify his arrival with on-pitch contributions.
Time to bounce back
Hernandez is facing the worst possible time of his career as his legacy is getting tarnished at the club where it all began.
However, aged 36 and with a game that was never reliant on explosiveness and pace, there is still time for him to bounce back.
He can take a look at other older Manchester United forwards, like Edinson Cavani or Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who molded their game and kept themselves fit and firing.
In fact, Cavani, at 37, has 17 goals in 26 appearances across all competitions for CA Boca Juniors, showing that age can’t harm the intelligence of movement and finishing skills. Many United players have left Europe to extend their playing career so the examples are many.
Nobody will be more driven than Hernandez to make a mark at his boyhood club and if the former United man’s career is any indication, he loves to bounce back from setbacks.
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