The forward of Bayer Leverkusen had a weak season and few great performances with Mexico. In Russia, he must be a figure.
The all-time leading scorer for Mexico still needs to prove himself.
While Chicharito Hernández remains one of the greats for his national team, as well as showing his worth at top clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Bayer Leverkusen, his legacy is not yet sealed. Although the forward has scored in more or less important situations, he still needs to appear in the truly important moments. So far, he has let his teammates take the spotlight.
The image of the 2014 World Cup remains, when his presence was overshadowed by the emergence of Oribe Peralta and Giovani dos Santos. "I was never a substitute and I don't like being one," he said at the time. And he added, "I'm tired of people treating me as a 'super substitute'. I'm a player who always made a difference as a starter."
Herrera didn't really care: the Leverkusen forward played only 75 minutes in four matches.
In the Gold Cup the following year, he was left out after an injury against Honduras in a preparation match. Mexico became champion; Chicharito wasn't there.
In the Copa America Centenario, he was as familiar a face in the tournament as Messi or Alexis Sánchez. He started the tournament two goals away from Jared Borgetti as Mexico's all-time leading scorer, but only managed to score one against Jamaica. El Tri was humiliatingly eliminated 7-0 by Chile.
While Germany took their B team to the Confederations Cup and Portugal coach Fernando Santos clarified that the main objective was to be in the World Cup, Mexico took their best players with the dream of winning the tournament in Russia. Much of that depends on Chicharito's performance.
If he fails to convince, it wouldn't be crazy for Juan Carlos Osorio to choose to play Raúl Jiménez. It would be a surprise, but not an impossible situation.
It's not just about helping his country; Chicharito had a very weak end to the season at Leverkusen and needs to convince to stay in European football, before what seems like an inevitable transfer to the United States.
Chicharito has the talent to do it. All his coaches have trusted him. Osorio defined him as one of the best in his position, and Mourinho admitted that he would welcome him back to Manchester United with open arms. No one becomes their country's all-time leading scorer by accident.
But a lot of time has passed since Chicharito was a star with the national team (in the 2010 World Cup, he scored goals against Argentina and France), and it's time for Hernández to once again show what he is: a great figure.