On paper, the relationship doesn't make sense. Despite the romantic narrative of Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez returning to his boyhood club Chivas, a team he has called his "first love" after leaving them in 2010 for Manchester United, the 2024 partnership between the Mexican national team's all-time leading goal scorer and the Liga MX giants feels more like an ill-fated union of star-crossed lovers.
The 35-year-old, who is recovering from a lengthy ACL injury, is no longer a spry striker with impeccable timing and a surprisingly tall leap for a player of his stature. Watching old highlights of Hernandez's previous time with Chivas feels like watching a different athlete altogether. Although his sense of positioning remains excellent, the same can't be said about his speed or finishing, which have diminished in the past few years.
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With all due respect to a living legend in Mexican soccer who is arguably one of the greatest from his country to play the game, it's a slight surprise that he didn't retire after his latest injury, which has kept him off the field since June. Playing at the time for the LA Galaxy, who eventually parted ways with him after the end of his contract in the winter, Hernandez slumped through 2023 with one goal in 12 games before his injury.
🔙 Se fue, hizo historia y hoy está de vuelta en casa 🔴⚪️ #HO14CHICHARITO 👋🫛 pic.twitter.com/cg71vBU1cj
— CHIVAS (@Chivas) January 24, 2024
Recovering day by day, he's now seeking to console himself with the affection of a club and institution that have also seen better days; Chivas aren't the same as they once were either.
When Hernandez first joined Chivas' youth academy in 1997, he did so in a year when they clinched their 10th Liga MX title, which extended their then-league record tally of championships. When he later debuted for the senior team in 2006, he was a part of the roster that won their 11th league title in that same year, once again taking back their spot as the country's most successful squad.
Since then? All they've had to show is one title (2017 Clausura) from the last 33 Mexican top-flight tournaments. Along the way, longtime rivals Club America have easily surpassed them in Liga MX's all-time trophies count, most notably gaining their 14th title in the recently finished 2023 Apertura tournament.
Desperate to revive their attack that scored just 23 times in 19 Liga MX matches in that Apertura season, Chivas turned to Hernandez, someone they once had a deep devotion and yearning for, but also someone who might not be able to rekindle that attacking flame. Blinded by love, salary money could have been better spent on more appropriate suitors that are currently healthy and ready.
Hernandez can still score world-class goals and has the know-how to place himself in the correct spots, but one of the bigger issues for Chivas last season was simply providing the right passes and distribution to the front line.
Lacking an ideal connection in the attack, and therefore much-needed shots, they often couldn't create much danger in the final third. Their totals for xA (expected assists), xG (expected goals) and touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes were the sixth worst in the league. Their total number of shots was the third worst, and when looking at the success rate of their crosses, their percentage was the fourth worst in Liga MX.
Chivas need more than just a striker. They need more playmakers and additional help outside of midfielder Roberto "Piojo" Alvarado, who seemed to do more of the heavy lifting in late 2023. The acquisition of USMNT winger Cade Cowell iis a welcome signing as someone who already made an early impact in his debut, but the jury is still out on whether the young player can consistently provide enough through assists or line-breaking passes.
It's too early to analyze just two weeks of numbers from the latest 2024 Clausura tournament, but things aren't exactly looking much better with a 0W-1D-1L start to the new season.
Can Chicharito, after returning from a lengthy absence at an unknown return date, resolve this? Will it be a massive letdown and failure of a second marriage between the player and Chivas? Or will they find a way to make somehow it work?
While there are numerous arguments to be made about why this could develop into a high-profile letdown, especially during a transitionary period under former Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago as the new head coach in his first Liga MX gig, it would also be foolish to assume that it'll be a guaranteed misstep for Chicharito and the club.
Beyond statistics and xG and goal-scoring rates, there is no concrete measurement that can be made about the gravity of a player returning to their boyhood team. There is no defined quantification of the extra boost that Chivas will get from the packed stands that will be desperate to catch a glimpse of Hernandez once again before a possible retirement.
In a locker room filled with impressionable and promising under-23 talents -- a handful of players in recent gameday rosters are in their teens -- there is no defined valuation on the influence of having Mexico's all-time goal scorer providing priceless advice.
We'll see how things develop, but the signing of the striker could be more about his leadership off the field, while on it he might become more of a rotational player. Even if the current plan is for him to be a go-to member of the starting XI, when recognizing his injury issues and 36th birthday in June, Chicharito might turn into an option off the bench in 2024.
This leads us to an intriguing possibility of Hernandez playing a unique role that could be a throwback to his European halcyon days at Manchester United and Real Madrid as a "super-sub." At the very peak of his abilities -- although his time as a starter for Bayer Leverkusen should also be in the conversation -- Chicharito was a cheat code off the bench for a team like Manchester United, where his world-class finishing, positioning and timing of his runs were regularly on full display.
As noted earlier, he's far from the player he once was, but there are hints of that talent that could do damage at the Liga MX level, possibly through limited minutes that could still lead to success back home in Mexico.
Chicharito, whose late grandfather played with the Guadalajara club when they won their first-ever title in 1957, might not think twice about the good of the team if that meant becoming a rotational option. Depending on how things go, the true impact of the aging veteran might be seen in the stands with supporters and in the locker room with his teammates, instead of on the pitch.
Chivas and Chicharito are clearly imperfect as they're kicking off 2024, and an imperfect match, but the outcome of that partnership doesn't have to be in what could be a dramatic homecoming for the player in the twilight of his career.