After having forgotten him for the entirety of this season, this past Sunday the world remembered Javier Chicharito Hernandez once again. After scoring a sublime individual effort against Ecuador in an international friendly, it became very clear: great talent is wasting away on the Real Madrid bench. That being said, there is no surprise that Chicharito has failed to earn playing time at a club where even Ballon D’or winners have been benched in their prime.
Turning 27 on the 1st of June, Chicharito is at an age where he should be at height of his career. Despite training daily with the world’s greatest talents, he finds himself unable to earn a spot on the field. Chicharito can assist with his backheel, score a volley from outside of the box, and leave a goalkeeper helpless, so the question remains: why doesn’t he play?
The most obvious reason is that Real Madrid is a very prestigious club. Star attacking players Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Isco, James Rodriguez, and Gareth Bale (when he is in form) leave Chicharito further down the pecking order. But there is another factor involved: money. Even if he is playing poorly, a 100 million pound player will continue to see goot time on the pitch, which makes sense considering that any club wants to prove that they spent their money well. With Chicharito being a fairly inexpensive loanee, Madrid have no point to prove by giving him starts. He has no expectations which may pressure the club into playing him. All eyes are on the stars, while Chicharito sits on the bench. Until last Sunday, many Real fans may have forgotten that he was even on the team.
So the question remains, where will the Little Pea go next? The truth is, parent club Manchester United will be thrilled to have him back at the end of the season. 20-20 hindsight tells us that Chicharito should have started on United this year, especially considering the fact that loanee Radamel Falcao is inconsistent and has failed to prove himself despite have been given the chances. The fact remains that Chicharito proves himself every time that he steps onto the pitch. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that Manchester United will give away their greatest poacher. It is possible that Manchester United will give him the same substitute role he had before he left, but it is much more likely that Chicharito will make his return to Manchester United and become the crucial goal-scoring striker that they have mostly lacked this season.