NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Mexico’s all-time leading scorer, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, shared his prediction for El Tri ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
Appearing on a FOX Sports roundtable alongside former U.S. men’s national team star Alexi Lalas and Canadian great Dwayne De Rosario, Hernandez didn’t shy away from the never-ending drama surrounding Team Mexico in this summer’s 48-team tournament.
Hernández’s bold vision for his country serves as a driving force for a broad discussion between representatives of each host nation.
The soccer identity of Mexico’s ‘soap opera’
To understand the basis for his bold prediction, you must first look at the immense cultural disorder that Hernández had to tune out during his playing days.
Mexico’s soccer landscape has historically been trapped by its own desire for dramatic narratives, similar to the stories of Mexican soccer. soap operas.
“Because of soap operas, because of the culture that we are, we see ourselves only as heroes or villains,” Hernández said. “They need to see you sweat, scream, fight for your country, giving your all.”
Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández had his big moment for Mexico during the 2010 World Cup against France, scoring the first goal in a 2-0 victory. (Photo by Mike Hewitt – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
For Hernández, breaking this cycle of extreme media theater is the crucial first step if Mexico wants to be successful this summer.
“The way those things happen, then instead of helping your own country, it’s the other way around, it’s unnecessary noise, pressure or whatever you want (to call it), it’s unnecessary,” Hernandez said.
Are the expectations for Mexico justified?
Mexico will become the first nation to host or co-host three FIFA World Cups, the first two in 1970 and 1986. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
As Hernandez predicts a historic performance, the fairness of the public’s expectations remains a question mark.
Lalas questioned whether El Tri fans have unrealistic goals for the team. Hernández changed the script and clarified that, while demanding the best is fair, wanting to see a style of play that does not match the current composition of the squad is useless.
“I don’t need to be or have the same quality as you, but I can give the same results, so that puts perspective and expectations. We don’t have the same quality as Brazil. We are not going to play Jogo Bonito,” Hernández noted.
“That’s what Mexican (fans) always expect from you: play well, play Tiki Taka, score 20 goals, defend, (not concede) goals.”
Instead of pursuing a superficial style similar to other nations, Hernández insists that fans must accept that they are not always the favorites to win.
“That’s the beauty of sports. You can win games without being the best at the game,” Hernandez added.
Criticism of Mexico’s style of play
In the face of constant backlash, critics and fans alike claim that modern Mexican players are too fragile to withstand public scrutiny.
Hernández rejected this idea, stating that the team accepts fair evaluations but demands that fans stop comparing them to foreign heavyweights.
“People think that when players come and say ‘this is too much’ or ‘they don’t like criticism’. No, it’s not about that. We are still Mexico, guys. I love my country to death, but we are still Mexico. We are not Italy,” Hernández stated bluntly. “We can still win our way.”
To achieve its projected deep career, Mexico must maximize its own identity. “We need more realistic expectations,” Hernandez said. “Focus on what you’re good at, try to explore those qualities and try to win games however you can.”
The power of the Tri fans
Mexico City will be an epic backdrop at the World Cup (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
While the incessant traveling crowd of Tri fans used to infuriate Lalas, Hernández sees this fierce, borderless devotion as the ultimate superpower that will anchor his World Cup prediction.
He shared an emotional memory from the 2018 tournament to illustrate the scale of the The Tri faithful.
“At the World Cup in Russia, when we played against Germany, that’s why I cried and got very emotional, because it’s crazy,” Hernández recalled. “We’re in Moscow, playing against the reigning world champions, and we were playing a home game.”
De Rosario noted that Canada hopes to build that “12th man” energy, but Hernandez reminded him that Mexico dominates the home atmosphere anywhere in North America.
“During one of the last games I played (against Canada in Canada), I think it was in Vancouver…we were the home team, we were local,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez Prediction: ‘Dream Big’
Raúl Jiménez and the Mexico team will have added pressure as co-hosts of the World Cup. (Photo by Eduardo Valdez/Jam Media/Getty Images)
It all leads to the fundamental question: can Mexico finally break the fifth match The curse, which is about reaching the quarterfinal match, also known as the fifth match in a World Cup tournament, which now means reaching the final.ex match (game six) in the new 48-team layout that includes an additional knockout round?
Hernández told Lalas that he expects El Tri to top Group A (which includes South Korea, Czechia and South Africa) and advance to the round of 32. Lalas then asked what would happen during the round of 16.
“What we all want to happen… they happen,” Hernandez responded.
Lalas pressed him on reality versus hope. Hernández differentiated the concept of staying stuck in what one traditionally performs from failure.
“In my country they love to say: ‘if we don’t go to the fifth game it’s a failure’, it’s not a failure. We’re used to doing it. We still are. Qatar was a failure. You didn’t get past the (group stage). That’s a failure, because we were used to (getting) to (the) round of 16,” Hernández explained.
Despite a less than ideal cycle, Hernández remains very optimistic for El Tri, even when Lalas asked him if he imagined a dream scenario with Mexico reaching the final.
“I am a firm believer, I am Mexican, it feels better to hope for the best. Dream big,” admitted Hernández. “I love this phrase ‘They call you crazy until you make it,’ you know, ‘delusional until you make it’… I know some of the players that are there… they’re going to do a lot better than a lot of people think, because why not?”
Stories related to the World Cup
