LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY — Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez hasn’t always been a free-scoring striker for the Mexican national soccer team and an assortment of top sides through Europe’s best leagues. In fact, when he began playing in the Chivas Guadalajara youth system at age 9 he wasn’t even interested in scoring goals.
Under the guidance of Hans Westerhof, a Dutch coach brought in to revamp youth development in 2003, Hernandez often found himself playing in midfield or as a winger because of his pace and close control of the ball.
Over time, though, scoring from a frontline position became his forte.