For a second there, it seemed like Javier Hernández was on his way out of Germany. The Artist Currently Known as Chicharito hadn’t scored in 11 straight games for Bayer Leverkusen, and rumors were swirling around that he was going to be sold by the German club. Fast forward to Tuesday, and the Mexican star has been named the Bundesliga Player of the Month for the month of February. What changed?
Well, first off, he just started banging in goals for fun. For the month, Chicharito scored four goals in four games, including a beauty of a volley vs. Frankfurt on February 11th. His two goals in that game signaled his return to form, but it was his brace six days later against Augsburg that truly confirmed that the Little Pea was back in action. In February, Hernández also became the Mexican player with the most Champions League appearances with 47, surpassing Rafa Marquez’s previous record of 46.
Outside of the field, Hernández also had an eventful month. He drew the ire of his Instagram followers on Valentine’s Day, following his break-up with Lucía Villalón; to say the photo he posted of a romantic date with another, unknown woman did not go over well is an understatement. That the unknown woman is now confirmed to be singer/actress Camila Sodi only fueled the gossip further.
Whatever happened in Chicharito’s personal life, his skills on the field seemed to have returned to him after a dreadful first half of the season, and the Bundesliga fans recognized it with his fifth player of the month award, and second of the season (following September 2016).