ClapThere’s been a great deal of speculation that they were going to get this over the finish line, and now, as reported by Sky Sports and Los Angeles Times, they’ve got their man: LA Galaxy have signed Javier Hernandez.
The man known as Chicharito is making his way over to California from Sevilla in a move that many have been anticipating for quite some time now. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward has had a rollercoaster ride of a few years in his career, and while many fans will choose to look back on what he did in the good old days, others want to see what he’s still capable of in Major League Soccer.
Back with a brand new attitude
During his first interview since joining, Hernandez was quick to dismiss the idea that he was leaving as a result of him not being able to cut it at the highest level in European football anymore.
“I’m going to be playing,” he said. “That’s what I want in my life. People are going to say it was because I couldn’t make it [in Europe], but sometimes in football there are things that are not in your hands. The last two years, the managers decided on giving confidence to other players rather than me. And now, the L.A. Galaxy, the manager of the club and the league, are telling me, ‘Look, Javier, we want to give you all the trust, all the confidence to help us,’ and that’s why I’m taking this opportunity.”
“I’m going to be able to play in front of a lot of Mexican fans, Galaxy fans, American fans,” he said. “That’s what’s great about football. They give you a lot of opportunities.”
When asked about his friend Carlos Vela, who plays across the city for LAFC, he had the following to say.
“It doesn’t matter if he scores or doesn’t score,” Hernández said. “L.A. Galaxy is the biggest [club] and will win more championships than them, definitely.”
Feeling the heat
There’s something to be said for legitimacy, and that one word is so important for the MLS right now. They quite rightly want to be viewed as the sort of league that can push the pace and really start to compete with the top European leagues, and acquisitions like this go a long way towards proving that.
They aren’t just going to throw money at the situation, though, because they’ll also need to start bringing through their very own homegrown talent. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup now being just over six years away, it’s about time that they start thinking about what they’re going to do in order to try and compete on the world stage.
There was a boom period following the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the same is going to be true for the 2026 event.
It’s all about making a statement, and we’re convinced that Major League Soccer will keep doing that until everyone finally starts to show them the respect they deserve.
