Chicharito & Family

You might be wondering what that young
boy on the left is doing running next to Manchester United star striker Dimitar
Berbatov. Truth be told, this is no promotional picture; that “young boy” is
Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, 22-year-old Mexican Man Utd striker known
both for his very quick, goal-scoring touch and for his unusually supportive
and close family. Both his father, Javier “Chicharo” Hernández, and his
grandfather, Tomás Balcázar, were professional football (soccer) players in
Mexico, and they together with the rest of the football-crazy family have
played an extraordinary role in helping young Chicharito achieve success above
and beyond anything they expected. A few facts about his family: Chicharito’s
father quit his job (after he was refused leave) in order to watch his son play
for Mexico at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. When Chicharito was signed by
Man Utd last April, his entire family moved from Mexico to join him in England
as what promises to be an incredible career kicks off. Chicharito often tells
the press how important his family has been in the shaping of both his finesse
and his character in the game: patience, hard work, and keeping a steady head during
bombardment from the media are a few among many aspects with which his family has helped
him. One rarely hears in the world of football of such a relationship
existing between a star like Chicharito and his family, and I commend the Hernández
family for it. Read an interview with his father and
grandfather here
N.B. This sports section is NOT going to be come a Man Utd fan blog – we will be writing about other teams/athletes in the future.