Mexican forward Javier Hernández Balcázar has consistently been a fan favorite in all the clubs he has played for. Clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid have always valued the contributions he made during his time with them. Rarely criticized for his behavior or performance, he is known for giving his best wherever he plays.
While the striker garnered love from fans wherever he played, it is undeniable that the fans of the club where his career began cherished him the most and will continue to do so, regardless of his current team. To the delight of the club’s fans, the striker is poised to sign with his boyhood club, bringing back emotional memories.
Javier Hernandez returns to boyhood club
Javier Hernandez has made a return to his boyhood club as a free agent, aiming to conclude his career in front of the fans who have loved him since childhood. Yesterday, B/R Football reported that the striker, who left for Manchester United 14 years ago, is set to return to his boyhood club Guadalajara to play the last few seasons of his career, as has been the case of many players, who after gaining fame worldwide, return to contribute to the club where their journey began.
Chicharito left his boyhood club Guadalajara for Manchester United 14 years ago.
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 24, 2024
Since then, he played for Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham, Sevilla, LA Galaxy, AND became Mexico’s all-time leading scorer, scoring more than 200 career goals.
Now, he’s headed back to… pic.twitter.com/HXxu4qfl5v
This presents a fantastic opportunity for the Mexican club to once again witness the striker’s prowess like the time when he showcased his skills during his earlier years with the team.
Hernandez’s career in Europe
Javier Hernandez joined Manchester United in 2010 and played 157 matches for the club over the next four years, scoring 59 goals and providing 20 assists. Thanks to his impressive performances, Real Madrid sought him out, and he signed for the Galacticos on loan for the 2014-15 season.
He played 33 matches with the Spanish side scoring and providing 9 goals and assists each. Though the Spanish giants, who were recently involved in a controversial VAR win, decided not to sign him permanently, the German club Bayer Leverkusen was waiting for the opportunity to arrive.
Bayer Leverkusen signed Javier Hernandez from the Red Devils for the 2015-16 season to add experience to their attacking lineup. Hernandez played 76 matches for the German club, scoring 39 goals and providing 9 assists during his time there.
Despite the successful partnership, a return to the Premier League was on the horizon for Javier Hernandez. While rumors connected him to a return to Manchester United, the move materialized when the Mexican striker signed for West Ham United in the 2017-18 season. During his return to England, the former Manchester United striker contributed 17 goals and 4 assists in 63 matches for the club.
As the striker aged and his form declined, he made a low-cost move to Sevilla in the summer of 2019. However, it quickly became apparent that the move wasn’t a good fit, leading to his sale to LA Galaxy just six months later during the winter transfer window.
Since then, he has been playing for the American side in the MLS, putting up impressive numbers with 39 goals and 7 assists in four seasons for the club. Now, he has made the decision to move back to his boyhood club, where he experienced much of his childhood success, during this winter transfer window.
Despite the lows and highs in his career across various clubs, one aspect that remained consistently impressive was his performances against the Premier League side Chelsea. A fan even referred to him as “Chelsea’s nemesis” in response to an earlier tweet, and the numbers seem to support that characterization.
Chelsea's nemesis
— MAVIN⚡ (@UTD_Mavin2) January 24, 2024
In all of his Premier League matches, he has scored 9 times against Chelsea and hasn’t missed the chance to score in his last four encounters with them. In fact, a few years ago when he was playing for the Hammers, he was asked about his performances against Chelsea and he stated, “It’s something that happens, sometimes you get – I don’t know, it’s difficult to say that because I don’t want to speak bad about them because that’s part of football.”
“Sometimes I cannot score against another team and sometimes I keep scoring, against Chelsea for example.”
It has been a bright and fulfilling career for the Mexican, and he must be genuinely excited to play in front of his boyhood club fans again. It remains to be seen how the veteran striker contributes to the growth of the club and helps produce more emerging talents. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
