Chicharito on Creating a Legacy of His Own

For Javier Hernández, better known as Chicharito, “The Little Pea,” football literally runs in the family. Having been instilled with the Beautiful Game’s DNA at such a young age, just like his father and grandfather before him, Chicharito has become one of the most revered Mexican heroes in recent years.

Starting out in the youth systems of Mexico’s Chivas Guadalajara, where his maternal grandfather also played, Chicharito made history when he became the first Mexican player to sign with England’s powerhouse club Manchester United. Having made his mark among the club’s most prolific scorers, Chicharito continued finding glorified results with Real Madrid before moving on to Bayer Leverkusen and his current club West Ham. Unsurprisingly, being engulfed in the sport since birth has guided Chicharito in becoming Mexico’s all-time leading scorer, who has many a times emulated both his grandfather, Tomás Balcázar, and his father, Javier Hernández Gutiérrez, on the pitch.

As Chicharito continues to pen his remarkable story, he hopes to make history for both his family and country alike during his third World Cup appearance. Following his family’s path to glory, Chicharito is ready to show the world he’s making the most out of his football inheritance.

For the third chapter of our Destined series, Chicharito addresses the legacy he has to live up to and his desire to pave his own path, featuring interviews from both his father and grandfather.