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The Mexican striker arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2010

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Fifteen years after he made the move from Guadalajara to Manchester United, Javier Hernandez remains one of the Premier League's greatest North American imports. The striker became the first Mexican player to win the English top flight, bagging two winners’ medals during his five-year spell at Old Trafford, during which time he netted 59 times in 157 appearances for the club. Hernandez also enjoyed a two-year stint at West Ham and would go on to be ranked at no. 8 in Four Four Two’s list of the greatest North American footballers ever, but admits that he could barely believe what was happening when he made his 2010 move across the Atlantic. “It was like a movie! ” Hernandez tells Four Four Two. “Everything that happened was surreal. I didn’t know anything and then my dad had a meeting with Jim Lawlor, the chief scout. I couldn’t believe it. I cried. “We kept the whole story a secret because Manchester United thought they could get a bargain and didn’t want other teams to find out. At first, I couldn’t even tell my agent or the rest of my family. When I saw Jim, I felt for the first time, ‘This is real’. “One day, he called me while I was driving. I pulled over to answer and I heard Sir Alex Ferguson! That Scottish accent was so tough to understand on the phone! “He wanted to make sure I knew how much they wanted me. Manchester United agreeing to play the first game at Chivas’ new stadium helped so much with the negotiations. ” The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. This move came after his dad reportedly quit his job as reserve team boss of Chivas because they refused him permission to travel to watch 'Chicharito' at the 2010 World Cup. “It wasn’t exactly like that; it was a mix of things, ” Hernandez explains. “I was going to the World Cup, then leaving for Manchester. I asked my parents and my sister to come to live with me. My dad was working so he had to resign to watch me play for Mexico, then live with me. I felt a lot of gratitude – there are no words to describe what my family were willing to do for me. ” But what was it like for a 22-year-old to swap Mexico for Manchester, given the climate and culinary differences between the two places? “I’m so grateful that I lived in Manchester because it made me realise I could live anywhere in the world – for five or six months of the year, you don’t see the sun! I enjoyed it so much, but it was a complete shock. "After my presentation as a Manchester United player, my life changed completely. "I’m not the best Mexican player ever – for me, it’s Hugo Sanchez, then Rafa Marquez – but I might be the most famous. I never thought about the number of eyes there would be on me, but I’m still Javier. There’s a layer before Chicharito, and that’s the most important one. " For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and Leeds Live among others and worked at Four Four Two throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

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