Mexican footballer Javier ‘Chicharito' Hernandez has generated millions in earnings since he began his professional soccer career in 2006. Here, we're going to go for a deep dive into how he has traveled around the world working with top-notch premier league teams and become a household name.
Chicharito's net worth is approximately $30 million. Chicharito’s salary with his current team, LA Galaxy, is $6 million guaranteed in 2022. The striker’s salary has increased exponentially during his more than 16 years of professional playing, resulting in the current Chicharito net worth.
Hernandez’s career has exploded since his foray into playing soccer. He began with a youth league in his native Guadalajara back in 1996. He has since gone on to play with the Mexican national team in international matchups, as well as top-notch premier leagues worldwide, producing an illustrious career that we’ll explore below.
[ninja_tables id=”8328″]Chicharito Soccer Career
Hernandez’s interest in soccer began when he was in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico, at age seven, during his father's four-year stint playing for Monarcas Morelia. Chicharito played soccer recreationally and at school while in Morelia. Ultimately, he returned to his native Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, to play in the youth leagues at age nine.
The first professional contract that he signed happened when he was still a 15-year-old high schooler. He was slated to play in the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) U-17 World Championship in 2005 but couldn’t due to injuries.
He played with Club Deportivo Guadalajara, the team with which he launched his professional career, for four years until 2010, except for a break in 2007. That year, Hernandez was drafted to the Mexico Under-20 (U20) team, which the Mexican Football Federation ran. Despite being sidelined with multiple injuries, Chicharito was one of Guadalajara's top goalscorers in several seasons.
Chicharito played for Manchester United from 2010 through 2015, except for the 2014-2015 season in which he was on loan to Real Madrid in Spain.
During his initial season with Manchester United, he scored 20 goals, a feat which resulted in him being named the top scorer and Most Valuable Player at the 2011 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Gold Cup tournament.
He was picked up by the German team Bayer Leverkusen for the following two seasons from 2015 to 2017, before returning to England to play for West Ham United between 2017 and 2019. The striker returned to Spain to play for Sevilla for a single season before joining LA Galaxy in 2020.
Chicharito began playing on the Mexican National team in 2009, but fans hoping to see Chicharito in the 2022 World Cup won’t get to see it, as the coach declined to take him to Qatar.
Chicharito’s Contract History
Details surrounding how much Chicharito earned early on in his professional career with the Liga MX team Chivas Guadalajara aren’t widely available. However, it’s safe to say that Chicharito's salary of $4.9 million annually during his rookie year of playing soccer internationally for Manchester United, and when on loan to Real Madrid for a single season in 2015, was over-and-above his Mexican league pay.
His annual pay increased to $5.8 million per year in 2017 when he went to play for Bayer Leverkusen. West Ham reportedly paid him $9.7 million per year between 2017 and 2020, the highest he’s earned during his entire career.
He then went on to earn $8.25 million with Sevilla for a single year before becoming a free agent in 2020. Next, he went to play for LA Galaxy, where Chicharito’s salary for the past three years has been guaranteed at $6 million annually.
It doesn’t appear that he has been subject to any extension or re-negotiation bonuses but had a transfer fee of around $17 million before leaving Sevilla for LA Galaxy.
Since 2010, Chicharito has earned an estimated $80 million for playing soccer internationally, an amount that equates to around $6.67 million annually.
Chicharito’s Endorsements, Sponsorships, and Business Dealings
As with most top-tier athletes, and especially the highest-paid soccer players of all time, there are a number of lucrative Chicharito endorsements that contribute to Chicharito’s overall net worth. Existing Chicharito sponsorship deals include:
- Herbalife Nutrition
- Bud Light
- Adidas
- Pepsi
- HBO Max Latinoamerica
- Vamos Pay
- Intuit Quickbooks
He also previously had a 7-year endorsement deal with Nike and was affiliated with the video game manufacturer EA Sports. In fact, he was the face of the FIFA 14 game.
Chicharito has also made investments in a variety of businesses with the wealth he has amassed during his international professional soccer career. Some of the businesses he has at least partial ownership in include:
- The We Are Robots Podcast
- Complexity Gaming
He also apparently invested in a watch and cigar company, although those businesses’ names aren’t clear. He has also launched a campaign in collaboration with Intuit QuickBooks.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few different questions fans often ask about Chicharito. Here are the answers to those questions.
What is Chicharito’s real name?
As you might have suspected, “Chicharito” is a nickname for the famed Major League Soccer forward or striker that is currently under contract with LA Galaxy until December 31, 2022. The Chicharito real name is Javier Hernandez Balcazar.
Who is Chicharito’s wife?
Chicharito married the Australian model of Romanian descent, Sarah Kohan, in 2019. However, Chicharito’s wife filed for divorce soon thereafter. They share two children: a son, Noah, born in 2019, and a daughter, Nala, born in 2020.
What does Chicharito mean?
Chicharito’s father, who was also a professional Mexican soccer player, went by the nickname “chicharo,” which stands for “pea.” The meaning of “Chicharito” is “little pea,” which is the affectionate, diminutive form of his father’s nickname.
Is Chicharito sponsored by Nike?
Chicharito’s sponsorship deal with Nike took place between 2010 and 2017. Since 2017, he has gone on to have a lucrative endorsement deal with the athletic gear’s main competitor, Adidas.
