The Mexican star arrived in the US on the back of an admission he’s now at the beginning of the end of his career
LA Galaxy‘s new star signing Javier Hernandez has stressed he could still play for several more years, despite recent retirement comments.
Hernandez, otherwise known as Chicharito, moved to MLS from Sevilla this week in a $10 million (£8m/€9m) transfer with a recent video surfacing of him tearfully admitting to his parents the transfer was ‘the beginning of his retirement’.
The former Manchester United attacker was unsurprisingly quizzed about those comments at his first Galaxy press conference on Thursday and was quick to clarify the real meaning of his remarks.
“It’s so simple. I think all over the world, but [especially] in my country we love and we are like obsessed with drama and excess,” Hernandez said.
“And so when you say ‘retirement’ it’s like ‘oh, tomorrow he’s going to announce retirement’. They didn’t really listen too to what I said, ‘the beginning of the retirement.’ The retirement could last 10 years, you never know. Hopefully the beginning is going to last so long and I will retire at 40 in Australia…
“I signed for three years plus an additional one, hopefully there are four years and each year brings a title.”
While Hernandez arrives in LA on the back of a disappointing stint in La Liga with Sevilla, the 31-year-old is determined to have a big impact at Galaxy after forging out a career that has had its fair share of challenges.
“To go from doubting whether to retire at Chivas, to playing at Manchester United within a year and a half,” Hernandez said.
“To go through the retirement of Alex Ferguson, who most of humanity, and myself, thought would never retire from Manchester United. He retired when I was there. And I scored the last goal of his era.
“There were people who didn’t play me and let me express myself as I would’ve liked, but it’s part of football.
“I come back [to North America] as a Mexican football legend, as much as some may be bothered by that. I’ve been playing in this country since I was 16 years old.
“I’ve won a lot of games here, and I’ve been treated with a lot of value and respect. I want that, and it’s coming from the best club in the USA. They came to get me, and that speaks of what they think of me.”
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