Former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernández suffered the unenviable fate of missing a crucial penalty in the game that saw his side’s Liga MX campaign end on Sunday.
Hernández, who made 103 appearances for United, scoring 37 times before a loan spell at Madrid, was tasked with the all-important penalty that would put Guadalajara ahead late on in their quarterfinal second leg tie against Cruz Azul.
He couldn’t convert it, with his spot kick — that would have given Chivas the lead — sailing high and wide over the crossbar. Cruz Azul scored in second-half stoppage time to win the match 3-2 and advance to the semifinals.
The 37-year old only signed for Guadalajara in 2024 after leaving MLS club LA Galaxy and with his contract in Mexico set to expire this summer, he could be left with the possibility of finishing his career at his boyhood club in devastating fashion.
To make matters worse, Cruz Azul went on to win the game in the 97th-minute, leaving the Guadalajara supporters inside the Estadio Olímpico Universitario crestfallen.
Hernández came through the ranks at Guadalajara joining the club initially in 1997 before he made his senior debut in 2006. He remained at the club until 2010 when he was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
A season at Madrid and spells at Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham and Sevilla followed with “Chicharito” becoming one of the most high-profile footballing names in Europe for a number of years.
It remains to be seen whether Hernández will continue at Guadalajara with his contract expiring on Dec. 31, and his future at the club in doubt.
