Javier Hernandez after his unveiling. (Source: LAGalaxy)
Amidst the glitter of Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez completing his move to Major League Soccer (MLS) side Los Angeles Galaxy from La Liga’s Sevilla on Thursday on a three-year contract, what caught the eye most was his video-call to his parents after the confirmation of the transfer where he broke down talking about the “beginning of retirement.”
Ever since its inception, MLS has been regarded as a “retirement league” where players like David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robbie Keane etc. moved in the twilights of their careers. While the moves garner interest in the league for all, it has often been used as a derogatory remark.
Although he confirmed that he was joining the league to be competitive, it was revealed on the vlog “Naked Humans” centered around Chicharito and those in his life that he made the move to be closer to his parents.
He broke down too talking about the end of his career, which received plaudits from Twitteratis given his sheer honesty despite plying his trade in Europe for more than a decade.
If you’re focusing on Chicharito’s “start of retirement” quote, you’re living life wrong. Rare to see this kind of raw honesty from an athlete speaking to his parents at the end of a 10-year run in European soccer. pic.twitter.com/KpQAXE79nj
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) January 23, 2020
On the call, Chicharito broke the news to his father first: “It’s almost certain I am going to LA. Everything is okay, everything is perfect dad, it’s only that, well it’s like the beginning of my retirement, you know?”
When his father protested, saying “no it isn’t!”, the 31-year-old former Manchester United forward explained, “No dad, try to understand me. What I mean is that, we are saying goodbye to a career that we put a lot of effort into, and we worked.”
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“And I know you guys also feel it and we’re going to look at the bright side and it’s going to be amazing. But whether we like it or not, we are retiring from the European dream,” he added.
Reportedly, the Mexican international will be paid an annual base salary of $6 million and has the option to extend his stay to a fourth year at the Los Angeles club. The Galaxy could likely use Hernandez’s scoring touch given Zlatan Ibrahimovic signed with AC Milan last month after scoring 53 goals in two seasons with them.
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