LA Galaxy have confirmed the signing of forward Javier Hernandez from Sevilla for a club-record fee of $9.4 million.
“It was the right time, the right opportunity,” said Chicharito in an exclusive interview with the Los Angeles Times.
Mexico‘s all-time top scorer with 52 goals will also become the highest-paid MLS player in history, signing a three-year deal worth a guaranteed salary of $6 million per year plus lots of incentives.
The latest star to join the Galaxy
LA Galaxy signed Hernandez to fill the void left behind by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who re-signed for Italian giants AC Milan.
Hernandez made it clear to the Times that he’s not coming to the MLS to fulfill a retirement package.
“I’m going to be playing,” Hernandez said. “That’s what I want in my life. People are going to say it was because I couldn’t make it [in Europe], but sometimes in football there are things that are not in your hands.
“The last two years, the managers decided on giving confidence to other players rather than me. And now, the LA Galaxy, the manager of the club and the league, are telling me: ‘Look, Javier, we want to give you all the trust, all the confidence to help us,’ and that’s why I’m taking this opportunity.”
Signing Chicharito makes Los Angeles the center of one the biggest rivalries emerging in sports, El Traffico, with Hernandez’s Mexican teammate and 2018/19 MVP Carlos Vela playing for LAFC.
The 31-year-old Hernandez is coming off an illustrious career in Europe where he scored 156 goals in 424 appearances across teams Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham and most recently, Sevilla.
The LA Galaxy, who just reported for the first week of 2020 pre-season today, will play their home opener March 7 at Dignity Health Sports Park against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
