Javier “Chicharito” Hernández had an enlightening date with Marca ahead of Bayer Leverkusen’s Champions League matchup against Barcelona this Tuesday.
The interview started out with Chicharito talking about life in Germany and comparisons between the Bundesliga, La Liga, and the Premier League. The Mexican international hates comparisons – as he grew up being compared to his father and grandfather, both Mexican national team players – so he was quick to deflect the annoying question (annoying because hold up, Marca: you forgot to mention that he started his career in another big league, the Liga MX!). Chicharito was quick to recognize his native domestic league in his response, noting that the four leagues he’s played in, “not forgetting the Mexican league, are big…They’re different styles, cultures, countries, and languages.”
When asked about Lionel Messi’s injury, Chicharito showed his tremendous character by simply and bluntly stating that it’s “never a nice thing” to see another human suffer. “You can’t take any pleasure from it. Health is the most important thing in life,” he said. We love you, Chicharito.
Then, Marca asked the star forward about his goal against Atlético de Madrid last April, the one that sent Real Madrid to the semifinals of the UCL. There’s no doubting that madridistas everywhere have watched the video of the goal at least a dozen times over.
“I will never forget that game. A great game for madridistas in general and especially for me.” Despite his heroics, Chicharito wanted to make it clear that he was no hero that day, because that’s “his way of being.” (Did I mention that we love you?) He still keeps in touch with his pals from Madrid – Keylor Navas, Luka Modric, and Sergio Ramos – and even had the inside scoop regarding the Navas-De Gea ordeal from both sides (he didn’t let us in on these secrets, though, being the great friend that he is).
Chicharito has seen a lot of movement over the past couple of years of his career, but despite the accompanying challenges and difficulties, he’s never looked back. “I don’t regret anything I’ve done. Repentance does not exist in my life. There is only learning. For me, all of these years have been different, but they have been the best in every moment.” Here’s to hoping that tomorrow proves to be another special moment for our guy, as he takes on Barcelona at Camp Nou.