Chicharito, Mexico's biggest soccer star, stirs fans' passion
'The Mexican people are here and they support us,' Hernandez says before game
By David Scott
Posted: Thursday, Jun. 09, 2011
Twelve days ago, Javier Hernandez walked onto the field at London's Wembley Stadium with his Manchester United teammates to face Barcelona in European soccer's Champions League final - the biggest match of the year on the continent, if not the world.
Tonight, Hernandez is in Charlotte for another important game, as he'll lead Mexico - "El Tri" - in a CONCACAF Gold Cup group match against Cuba at 9 in Bank of America Stadium.
Hernandez, 21, a forward, is the biggest soccer star in Mexico, which means he is probably the country's top celebrity of any sort.
He might not be well known in the United States; few international soccer stars are. But tonight, tens of thousands of Mexican soccer fans at the stadium - as well as millions more watching on television - will cheer the player known as "Chicharito."
"It's very important that he's playing for Manchester United," said Enrique Borja, a Mexican soccer official who played in two World Cups for El Tri. "But most important, he's playing well with the national team and he's a good representative for Mexican soccer in many parts of the world. The people love him."
Sanchez, 16, a sophomore at Vance High, was among the throng of fans waiting for the Mexico team to arrive at its Ballantyne hotel Monday. When Hernandez got off the bus, he noticed Jessica, who has been confined to a wheelchair since birth.
Hernandez approached a disbelieving Jessica, leaned over and signed the green Mexico soccer shirt she was wearing, then also autographed a notebook she was holding.
"He happened to see me and he said hi to me," said Jessica, who has lived in the United States for 15 years. "I thought he wasn't going to do that. But then I got really happy. He's made a lot of people happy. He's very important to us."
Said Hernandez: "If there is no money or no achievement, (it doesn't matter because) first I'm a person. Then I'm a football player. That makes me very happy."
Hernandez's moment with Jessica was captured in a large color photo on the cover of this week's edition of Hola Noticias, Charlotte's Spanish-language newspaper. The headline: "Chicharomania." Inside were two pages of Gold Cup coverage.
On Tuesday, Hernandez signed more autographs with his teammates after practicing in 93-degree heat at UNC Charlotte's Transamerica Field.
"The Mexican people are here and they support us," Hernandez said in perfect English. "Playing for the national team is wonderful. When I pull on the green shirt and play in the Gold Cup, I want to win it."
Hernandez will play a major role in Mexico's efforts to defend its 2009 Gold Cup championship. He scored three goals in El Tri's tournament opener Sunday, a 5-0 victory against El Salvador in Arlington, Texas.
It's been that kind of year for Hernandez. Already a celebrated player for Mexico's Guadalajara, his popularity went off the charts last summer when he signed with Manchester United .
United is perhaps the world's top sports brand. And Hernandez's profile is further raised by what is the ultimate mark of respect in international soccer: a one-word nickname. In a sport with players known as Pele and Kaka, Hernandez's "Chicharito" (which means "little pea" in Spanish) has become instantly recognizable.
Hernandez made a huge impact on United in his first season.
He scored a goal in his first game with the Red Devils. Playing alongside stars like Wayne Rooney, Hernandez ended up with 20 goals, helping the team to a record-breaking 19th English Premier League title and a berth in the Champions League final (which it lost to Barcelona 3-1).
"It's wonderful to play for the best club in the world," said Hernandez.
There's a world of difference between living in Hernandez's native Mexico and Manchester, a working-class city on England's northwestern coast. But any homesickness Hernandez might have had was lessened when he decided to take his family along.
"It's very different, of course," said Hernandez. "It's a change of culture and it can be different. But I have my parents and my sister. So after leaving the training ground, if I go out or go home, they're with me."
In Charlotte, and everywhere else in the United States where Mexico plays, home seems much closer now for Chicharito.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/06/0...est-soccer.html
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