SouthernWorldwide.com – Mexico’s legendary goalscorer, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, has revealed his bold prediction for El Tri’s performance in the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Speaking on a FOX Sports roundtable alongside former USMNT star Alexi Lalas and Canadian legend Dwayne De Rosario, Hernández addressed the perennial drama surrounding the Mexican squad.
His optimistic outlook for his country was a central theme in a broad discussion involving representatives from each of the host nations.
To grasp the reasoning behind his confident forecast, one must first consider the significant cultural noise Hernández had to navigate throughout his playing career.
Mexico’s football landscape has historically been overshadowed by its own penchant for dramatic narratives, reminiscent of Mexican telenovelas.
“Because of the soap operas, the culture that we are, we see ourselves only as the heroes or villains,” Hernández stated. “They need to see you sweat, scream, fight for your country, giving it completely all.”
Hernández believes that breaking free from this cycle of media spectacle is a crucial first step for Mexico to achieve success this summer.
“The way that those things happen, then, instead of helping your own country, it’s the other way around, it’s unnecessary noise, pressure, or whatever you want to (call it), it’s unnecessary,” Hernández explained.
Given Hernández’s prediction of a historic performance, the question of whether public expectations are justified arises.
Lalas questioned if El Tri fans harbor unrealistic aspirations for the team. Hernández, however, shifted the perspective, clarifying that while demanding the best is reasonable, expecting a playing style that doesn’t align with the current squad’s capabilities is futile.
“I don’t need to be or have the same quality as you, but I can give the same results, so that puts the perspective and the expectations in (perspective). We don’t have the same quality as Brazil. We’re not gonna play the Jogo Bonito,” Hernández pointed out.
“That’s what Mexico (fans) always expect of you: play nice, play Tiki Taka, score 20 goals, defend, (don’t concede) goals.”
Instead of pursuing a superficial style akin to other nations, Hernández emphasizes that fans must accept that Mexico won’t always be favored to win.
“That’s the beauty of sports. You can win games without being the best (in) the game,” Hernández added.
Facing constant criticism, both from detractors and fans, the claim is that modern Mexican players are too fragile to withstand public scrutiny.
Hernández refuted this notion, asserting that the squad welcomes fair evaluations but insists that fans cease comparing them to international powerhouses.
“People think that when players come and say ‘this is too much,’ or, ‘they don’t like criticism.’ No, it’s not about that. We are still Mexico, guys. I love my country till death, but we are still Mexico. We are not Italy,” Hernández stated bluntly. “We can still win in our way.”
To achieve his projected deep run in the tournament, Mexico must fully embrace its own identity. “We need more realistic expectations,” Hernández said. “Focus on what you are good (at), like try to explore those qualities, and try to win games however you can win.”
While the relentless traveling support of El Tri fans once irked Lalas, Hernández views this fierce, global devotion as the team’s ultimate superpower, which will underpin his World Cup prediction.
He recounted an emotional memory from the 2018 tournament to illustrate the magnitude of the El Tri faithful.
“In the World Cup in Russia, when we played against Germany, that’s why I cried, and I was so emotional, because it’s insane,” Hernández remembered. “We’re in Moscow, playing against the actual world champions, and we were having a home game.”
De Rosario noted that Canada aims to cultivate a similar “12th man” energy, but Hernández reminded him that Mexico commands home-field atmospheres anywhere in North America.
“During one of the last games that I played (against Canada in Canada), I think it was in Vancouver… we were the home team, we were local,” Hernández said.
All of this leads to the ultimate question: can Mexico finally break the quinto partido curse – referring to reaching the quarterfinal game, or the fifth game in a World Cup tournament? With the new 48-team format that includes an additional knockout round, this now means reaching the sexto partido (sixth game).
Hernández informed Lalas that he anticipates El Tri will top Group A (which includes South Korea, Czechia, and South Africa) and advance past the round of 32. Lalas then inquired about the potential outcome in the round of 16.
“What we all want to see happen … they go through,” Hernández replied.
Lalas pressed him on the distinction between aspiration and reality. Hernández differentiated between being stuck in a traditional performance level and outright failure.
“In my country, they love to say, ‘if we don’t go to the quinto partido it’s a failure,’ it’s not a failure. We’ve been used to do that. We still are. Qatar was a failure. You didn’t go through group (stage). That’s a failure, because we were used to (getting) to (the) round of 16,” Hernández explained.
Despite a less-than-ideal preceding period, Hernández remains highly optimistic for El Tri, even when Lalas asked if he envisioned a dream scenario where Mexico reaches the final.
“I’m a strong believer, I am Mexican, it feels better to hope for the best. Dream big,” Hernández admitted. “I love this phrase ‘They (call) you crazy until it’s done,’ you know, ‘delusional until it’s done’… I know about some of the players that are there… they’re going to do way better than a lot of people think, because why not?”
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