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Chicharito: I’d rather earn $5 million in Spain than $10 million in MLS

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Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez might not be coming to Major League Soccer soon, as some fans want him to.

When posed with the question if he’d rather earn $10 million playing in MLS or $5 million playing in Spain, the Mexico international chose the latter.

Hernandez also said he’d prefer a move to Mexico if he were to return to North America after spending the majority of his career in Europe.

“I’ll tell you this, when I return, when I’m able to return to [North America]… it’ll be Mexico, obviously,” Hernandez said. “But wherever it is, that doesn’t mean that’s the end of it, OK? For me, the end is when I retire, be it in China, Dubai, Qatar, MLS, the Spanish league, Dutch, French.”

Hernandez scored eight Premier League goals for West Ham United last season and will be at the forefront of Mexico’s World Cup squad. El Tri’s campaign in Russia begins Sunday against Germany.

Comments

  1. Good for him.

    Frankly, I wish the US players had this kind of pride in their games to forego the big payday from a lower tier league like MLS and keep testing themselves at the highest level.

    All you have to do is look at bums like Michael Bradley to see that going for the MLS bucks is really detrimental to your game.

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  2. I do agree: MLS is no competition or pressure, MLS sucks International stage without title of the new format CONCACAF Champions League. Reason many of us stop watching MLS but I am still want success for USNT because represent players like my son (mix race & born in the U.S.), & MLS was key development in USNT. Note: “was key”

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  3. Again MLS is a non competitive league. If you are a star in MLS you can take a half or even a whole game off. NOBODY is replacing you. So if you want to stay on the top of your game don’t go to MLS. Jordan Morris made a big mistake. Stink up the league for an entire year,who cares? No relegation, no pressure, no competition.

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  4. The comments are hilarious. “We didn’t want you anyway!” lol. I bet Pulisic would choose the same thing at Chicharo’s age.

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  5. He’s on the downside of his career and he was never as good as many other players like
    Beckham, Ibra,Henry, or even Cahill, etc. who came to MLS in their later years. So, who cares what he thinks?

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  6. FWIW you come to MLS and the paychecks arrive on time and you don’t have to worry about being kidnapped or shot. Or have we forgotten why Beasley came north of the border, or what recently happened to Villafana, etc.

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    • Yeah. Beasley came home to get shot by the cops like a real African American. Maybe even his kids can get shot at school. Nothing more American that that. The irony.

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  7. MLS HQ: what about $20m?

    reality, i think most players would work for free if those were the terms to sign at any of the top 5-6 Spanish teams.

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  8. Some context would be nice. The story makes it sounds like he is actively talking trash on MLS, but if he simply answered this question honestly then I have a hard time finding fault.

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    • It’s a fair answer, it also should be an answer where we’re done ever talking. He can talk us down and we can forget his agent’s number.

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  9. Look at Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Alejandro Bedoya (around the same age) and you’ll kinda understand where he’s coming from.

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  10. Enjoy 13th place loser…..
    Shoot for 10th next year, that can be your definition of a winner.

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  11. Hmm. Not exactly what he said (i.e. I’d rather earn $5 million in La Liga than $10m in MLS). He was asked some quick fire questions one of which was 5 million in La liga or $10 million in MLS. He said La Liga. Sounds way different than a disparaging I would rather play here than there.

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  12. There should be a double secret blackball list for players not already signed here who talk down the league like this. Maybe you should have to pay a $500,000 penalty to the league, or lose the DP designation, to sign them. We should be looking for ambassadors and then basically shut down interest in people who act like maybe I’ll come when I am 35 and have nothing else to do, in exchange for the sort of money I make now in my 20s.

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    • That would have ruled out players like zlatan and blanco. MLS still needs alters who move the needle in terms of buzz and marketing. It’s just a fact of life.

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  13. I don’t why the MLS has this Fantasy/a fan to bring Mexican players to the MLS and pay them a fortunes. Do not get me wrong but only few Mexican players are worth the money and those Mexican player the do really want to come here and help the league. But most of them they really don’t want to come here because the Media Here in the USA (Fox & ESPN espanol and Univision they all talk bad about this league been a retirement home and also the Mexican Media. I rather see more South American coming to play here and get play 1 million to 10 million than a Mexican player. Plus few reason why Liga MX is doing well. 1) South American Players 2) Media from both part USA n Mexico 3) Mexican pride – they can’t stand watching the MLS getting better that always going to Watch they beloved Liga MX. and for Chicarito has been to be talking about him taking 5mil from la LIGA rather the MLS who cares and who wants him here, Not ME!!

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    • Agreed. I lived majority my life in Southern California & had a business in Huntington, CA, & Mexicans are xenophobic towards South Americans like me & hate the USNT & want MLS to fail. Now I live in South Florida, South Americans here (in SO FL) still think MLS is crap but support USNT & hate “el tri”, while Central Americans have some support to MLS & rather pay to see big South American or European than a “green rat”.

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    • Why else would you bring someone from West Ham to be your star ?

      Money. He would sell a ton of jerseys and draw ratings. Hope my Sounders don’t do something that dumb.

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      • haha…typical …”NO”! Aguero, Suarez, “James” Rodriguez or Vidal would sell more jerseys than any “green rats” because they would sell not only to South Americans but Central Americans, Europeans, Caribbean people or any American soccer fan.

      • Also,I would add Asian immigrants from Central, South, Western (like Persians), or Eastern Asia would buy “TOP STAR” jersey in MLS.

  14. (a) i’d love to have chicharito at dc united
    (b) i’d be pissed if they paid him $10M to come
    (c) i understand why he answered that way. the specific $ amounts are irrelevant; he’s simply saying that he would take a lower salary to play in a bigger league. even if you set aside the competitive standpoint, that could be still be the better business move, long-term.

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  15. Love how the headline makes you think he just says that out of nowhere while thumbing his nose at MLS. He was asked a direct question and answered it, and goes on to say he would in fact play in MLS.

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  16. Who cares. He’s already a washed up, bit player. He’s never been more than a one dimensional, service demanding striker. I’d rather have 10 more Argentinian/Uruguayan/Venezualan/Colombian youngsters in the league than him come ever.

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  17. LOL
    To be fair, unlike waaaaaa ogling his cousin at a family reunion, he has never been known to take the easy way out. No successful athlete ever has.

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  18. You suck! I rather pay to see someone like Gaston Ramirez or Icardi!

    For a $10 million! MLS could bring a “real star” & forget about these over-rated green rats.

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  19. Little Bean is far too proud to play alongside such pikers as Carlos Vela and the Dos Santos brothers.

    Take that, yanquis

    And mentioning us alongside such leagues as China and Qatar as a “retirement” league…I really don’t think he thought that through.

    Man, we SERIOUSLY need to finish business and take down Liga MX in CONCACAF Champions League this time around. Tired of this stuff. Seriously.

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