C.D. Guadalajara Hernández began playing with C.D. Guadalajara's lower-division team,
Chivas Coras in
Tepic,
Nayarit in the
2005–06 season. On 9 September 2006, he made his debut for Guadalajara in that year's
Apertura in a win over
Club Necaxa at
Estadio Jalisco. With the score at 3–0, under manager
José Manuel de la Torre, Hernández came on as a substitute for
Omar Bravo in the 82nd minute, before scoring the fourth goal of the game five minutes later. It was his only goal in five appearances in 2006 as Guadalajara went on to win the league title. He made two appearances in the
2007 Clausura with no goals. He made six more appearances in
2007–
08 without scoring. Hernández made 10 appearances in the
2008 Apertura without scoring. Still, he scored four goals in 15 appearances in the
2009 Clausura. On 25 February 2009, during a group stage match of
that year's edition of the
Copa Libertadores, Hernández came on as a substitute and scored a brace against
Everton in a 6–2 home victory. In the
2009 Apertura, Hernández finished as the joint-third top scorer, with 11 goals in 17 appearances. He started the
2010 Torneo Bicentenario with eight goals in five games. He finished as a joint-leader in the goalscoring chart for the
2010 Torneo Bicentenario, with 10 goals in 11 games despite missing five matches due to injury. He also won the tournament's best forward award.
Manchester United Transfer Manchester United was first made aware of Hernández in October 2009; a scout went to Mexico that December and reported positively after watching a few games. Because of Hernández's age, the club originally planned to wait before making a move to sign him. Still, his potential involvement with the national team at the World Cup rushed the club into making a bid. United's chief scout, Jim Lawlor, was sent to Mexico for three weeks in February and March to watch Hernández. He filed another positive report on him before the club solicitor went to Mexico to finalize the paperwork. On 8 April 2010, Hernández agreed on a deal to sign for Manchester United for an undisclosed fee, subject to a work permit application. The previous day, Hernández had been present at Manchester United's
Champions League quarter-final win over
Bayern Munich at
Old Trafford. The deal was conducted in complete secrecy; Hernández's agent was kept in the dark, as was his grandfather
Tomás Balcázar, who thought Hernández was going on a trip to
Atlanta in the United States. As part of the deal, United played a
friendly against C.D. Guadalajara to open the Mexican club's
new stadium on 30 July. On 27 May, the work permit was granted, allowing the transfer to be made official on 1 July.
2010–11: Premier League title and European final , Houston in July 2010 Hernández made his United debut on 28 July, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for
Nani in the
2010 MLS All-Star Game at the
NRG Stadium, Houston; he scored his first goal for the club 18 minutes later, lobbing the ball over
Nick Rimando from just outside the area after a long through-ball from
Darren Fletcher. Two days later, Hernández scored against Manchester United while playing in a friendly for his former club, C.D. Guadalajara, scoring the inaugural goal at their recently constructed stadium; he started the game in a Chivas jersey and scored the first goal after just eight minutes. He switched sides at half-time, but he was unable to prevent a 3–2 defeat for Manchester United. He scored for the third pre-season game in a row as he netted in a 7–1 victory over a
League of Ireland XI at the newly built
Aviva Stadium on 4 August. Hernández made his competitive debut on 8 August and scored his first goal in the process, netting United's second of a 3–1 victory over
Chelsea in the
2010 FA Community Shield. He came on at the start of the second half. He got on the end of a pass from
Antonio Valencia before the Mexican's shot deflected off his face and into the net. On 16 August, Hernández made his
Premier League debut as he replaced
Wayne Rooney in the 63rd minute of their 3–0 home victory over
Newcastle United. He scored his first Champions League goal on 29 September, coming off the bench to score the only goal in an away win over
Valencia. He scored his first league goal for United in a 2–2 home draw against
West Bromwich Albion on 16 October. Eight days later he scored his first brace for the club, also his first away league goals, in a 2–1 away win over
Stoke City. Two days on from this display, he came off the bench to score a last-minute winner, his first ever
League Cup goal, in a 3–2 win over
Wolves which sent them through to the quarter-finals where they were then knocked out by
West Ham United. On 1 January 2011, he came off the bench to head the winning goal in a 2–1 away win over West Bromwich Albion. Hernández became the top scoring Mexican in Premier League history after opening the scoring in a 2–1 home victory over Stoke City on 4 January. during the
2010–11 season On 25 January, Hernández scored the equalizing goal of a 3–2 comeback away win over
Blackpool. Four days later he scored his first
FA Cup goal as he netted the winner in a 2–1 away victory over
Southampton. Hernández netted twice in a 4–0 away win over Wigan on 26 February. Eight days later, he netted a late consolation goal in a 3–1
derby defeat away to
Liverpool. Hernández netted twice in a 2–1 home win over
Marseille on 15 March, sending United through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. On 2 April, he scored the final goal against West Ham United as they came from two goals down to claim a 4–2 away win. On 8 April, Hernández was revealed as a contender for the
PFA Young Player of the Year award alongside teammate
Nani. Four days later, he opened the scoring in the 2–1 quarter-final win over Chelsea in the Champions League, with the game ending 3–1 on aggregate, sending United through to the semi-finals. He continued his goal scoring form on 23 April scoring the winning goal with a header in the 1–0 home win over
Everton. On 8 May, Hernández scored the opening goal in a 2–1 home win over Chelsea after just 36 seconds to leave United one point away from winning the title. The goal against Chelsea made him the first player since
Ruud van Nistelrooy in the
2001–02 season to score 20 goals for the club in his debut season. Six days later, Hernández won his first league title with United following a 1–1 draw against
Blackburn Rovers with one league match remaining, the club's record-breaking 19th league title. Hernández capped his debut season with Manchester United by winning the
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award on 18 May which was voted for by the fans. On 28 May, Hernández played all 90 minutes in the 3–1 defeat to
Barcelona in the
Champions League Final. On 5 July 2011, the
International Federation of Football History and Statistics named Hernández as the "World Goalgetter 2011", with 13 goals, ahead of other players such as
Cristiano Ronaldo,
Giuseppe Rossi, and
Lionel Messi.
2011–12: Injury hit season After participating in the
2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup with Mexico, Hernández returned to Manchester United to begin pre-season training in New York ahead of the
2011 MLS All-Star Game. On 26 July 2011, he was taken to the hospital after suffering a minor concussion after he was hit on the head with a ball during a training session; he was cleared the next day but did not take part in the game. On 28 July 2011, it was reported that Rafael Ortega, the doctor at C.D. Guadalajara, informed Manchester United that Hernández was suffering from a pre-existing
neurological condition. Ortega also explained that Hernández had suffered from "acute
migraines and "headaches" as a teenager. He did not participate in any of United's pre-season matches, nor the
2011 FA Community Shield. He also missed United's opening game of the season against
West Bromwich Albion. Hernández made his first appearance in the
2011–12 season on 22 August in a 3–0 win against
Tottenham Hotspur, coming off the bench for
Danny Welbeck in the 79th minute. He returned to the starting lineup on 10 September against
Bolton Wanderers, scoring twice in a 5–0 victory. On 15 October 2011, Hernández came off the substitutes bench to net a crucial equaliser against
Liverpool at
Anfield in a 1–1 draw. In the 81st minute, Hernández gambled on Danny Welbeck's flick-on from a corner to steal in and head the equalizer. Hernández signed a five-year contract on 24 October to tie him to Manchester United until 2016. The following day it was reported that Hernández made the longlist for that
year's
FIFA Ballon d'Or. Hernández scored his fourth league goal of the season and the winner against
Everton at
Goodison Park, in a 1–0 victory on 29 October. He then scored his fifth league goal of the season and the winner in United's next away game at
Swansea City, a 1–0 win. Hernández scored again in the following game at home to
Newcastle United, when
Wayne Rooney's shot was blocked by a defender and ricocheted back off Hernández and into the net. He was then carried off the pitch early in United's next league game away at
Aston Villa, appearing to go over on his ankle without a challenge from an opponent. After the match, manager Sir Alex Ferguson said Hernández had suffered ankle ligament damage and would be out for up to four weeks. On 18 December, Hernández made a surprise early return against
Queens Park Rangers. He came on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Danny Welbeck in United's 2–0 victory at
Loftus Road. On 31 January 2012, Hernández scored his first goal since November and his seventh goal in a 2–0 league win at Old Trafford against
Stoke City, scoring the first of two penalties. Hernández continued his scoring form on 5 February at
Stamford Bridge against
Chelsea, scoring the third goal of a three-goal comeback draw, heading in a cross from
Ryan Giggs. On 16 February, Hernández scored his first goal in the
Europa League, in a 2–0 away win against
Ajax in the round of 32. He scored again in the second leg at Old Trafford on 23 February, but this time in a 2–1 home defeat. However, United still won the tie 3–2 on aggregate. On 18 March, Hernández scored twice in a 5–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
2012–13: Second Premier League title Hernández began his
third season with United on 2 September 2012, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute for
Danny Welbeck in a 3–2 win against
Southampton. On 15 September, he was named in the starting eleven for the match against
Wigan Athletic, playing all 90 minutes. Despite having a penalty saved in the fifth minute by Wigan goalkeeper
Ali Al-Habsi, Hernández scored his first goal of the
season, as well as assisting in teammate
Nick Powell's goal in a 4–0 victory. On 23 October, Hernández netted a brace in a 3–2 comeback win against
Braga in a
Champions League group stage match after United had gone down 2–0 in the first half. Five days later, he scored the winner against nine-man Chelsea in a controversial 3–2 win after he was deemed to have been in an offside position when scoring the goal. On 10 November 2012, Hernández came on as a second-half substitute and scored two goals as United came from 2–0 down to beat
Aston Villa 2–3 at
Villa Park. At the end of the match, Hernández claimed the
hat-trick, but replays showed that his shot for United's second goal was hit wide until turned into his own net by Villa defender
Ron Vlaar. On 24 November, he scored his fifth league goal of the season in a 3–1 home win over
Queens Park Rangers. On 26 December, Hernández scored United's fourth goal in the final minutes in a 4–3 win over
Newcastle United at Old Trafford. He then began 2013 by scoring a brace against Wigan on 1 January, helping United to a 4–0 victory. On 26 January, Hernández would go on to score another brace, this time during an FA Cup match against Fulham which United won 4–1. In another FA Cup match against
Reading on 18 February, Hernández scored in the 72nd minute, giving United a 2–0 lead. His goal would end up being a deciding factor as United went on to win the game 2–1. Although he started in United's 2–0 Premier League victory against QPR on 23 February 2013, he did not score in the match and he didn't score again until 10 March in another FA Cup match against Chelsea which ended in a 2–2 draw. Hernández clinched his second league title with United on 22 April after a 3–0 victory over Aston Villa with four matches left for the season. Hernández opened the scoring in manager
Sir Alex Ferguson's final home game at
Old Trafford against
Swansea City. After a free kick was not cleared, he slotted in from six yards in the first half to put United 1–0 up, in a game they went on to win 2–1. Hernández scored United's last goal of the season and the final goal of the Ferguson era, when he tapped in a cross from close range in a 5–5 draw away at
West Bromwich Albion on the final day.
2013–15: Lack of playing time and loan at Real Madrid Hernández scored his first goal of
the season under new manager
David Moyes on 25 September 2013, netting the only goal of a home win over rivals Liverpool in the third round of the League Cup. On 26 October, with his first league goal of the campaign, he headed the winner as they came from behind to defeat Stoke 3–2 at Old Trafford. Three days later, he recorded a brace – starting with a penalty – in a 4–0 win against
Norwich City in the next round of the League Cup. In the tournament's semi-finals, his goal from
Adnan Januzaj's cross in the last minute of extra time forced a
penalty shootout, which United lost to
Sunderland. On 1 September 2014, Hernández signed for
Real Madrid on a season-long loan deal, with an option of a purchase at the end of the loan. He underwent a medical and signed his contract that same day. He made his debut in the
Madrid derby on 13 September, replacing
Karim Benzema for the final 27 minutes as the team lost 2–1 at home. On 19 September, Hernández came on as a 77th-minute substitute for
Gareth Bale and scored his first two goals in an 8–2 away win against
Deportivo de La Coruña — the first goal, scored from outside the box with his left foot, was labeled Goal of the Month. He scored the winning goal on 22 April 2015 in the 1–0 win over
Atlético Madrid, which sent Real Madrid into the semi-finals of the
Champions League. Four days later, Hernández scored a brace in Madrid's 2–4 away win over
Celta de Vigo. On 26 May, it was announced that Hernández would return to Manchester United following the end of his loan spell after Real Madrid decided not to make the loan move a permanent deal. He made 33 appearances for Los Blancos, scoring 9 goals. With Real Madrid declining to make an offer for Chicharito, he returned to Manchester. On 29 August 2015, it was reported that manager
Louis van Gaal had told Hernández he could leave the club by the end of the transfer window. It was unclear what fee were United expecting for him, who still had one year left on his contract. Hernández played his final match for Manchester United on 22 August in a draw against Newcastle United at Old Trafford. He came on as a substitute in the 67th minute, replacing Adnan Januzaj. This brought an end to his fruitful spell at Manchester United, having scored 59 goals in 157 games, winning two Premier League titles. In 2017, van Gaal's successor
José Mourinho claimed that he would have never sold Chicharito and believed he would score at least 20 goals a season for his United team.
Bayer Leverkusen On 31 August 2015, it was announced Hernández signed a three-year contract with
Bundesliga club
Bayer Leverkusen for an undisclosed fee, reportedly around £7.3 million.
2015–17: Consecutive seasons as club top scorer Hernández was given the number 7 shirt. He made his Bundesliga debut as a 58th-minute substitute in the 1–0 defeat to
Darmstadt 98 on 12 September. Four days later he scored his first goal in the
Champions League group-stage match against
BATE Borisov, scoring the third goal in the 4–1 victory. On 23 September, Hernández scored his first Bundesliga goal in Bayer's 1–0 victory over
FSV Mainz, being also named Man of the Match. On 20 October, Hernández scored his first brace for Leverkusen in their 4–4 draw against
Roma in the Champions League. Eight days later, he scored a brace in a 6–0 thrashing of
Viktoria Köln during the second round of the
DFB-Pokal. He ended the Champions League group stage with five goals from six matches but Bayer failed to qualify for the
knockout phase, finishing third in Group E and dropping into the
Europa League. Hernández was named Bundesliga Player of the Month for November; a month in which he scored in a 2–1 loss at home to
1. FC Köln and twice in 3–1 win at
Eintracht Frankfurt. On 12 December, Hernández scored his first
hat-trick in Leverkusen's 5–0 win over
Borussia Mönchengladbach, thus scoring 15 goals in his last 12 matches, and taking his tally to 17 goals in 20 games. He would again be named Bundesliga Player of the Month for December. On 30 January 2016, in Bayer's second match after the winter break, Hernández scored twice in a 3–0 defeat of
Hannover 96 to register his 20th and 21st goals of the season. Two days later, he was named for the third time Bundesliga Player of the Month. On 9 February, during the DFB-Pokal quarter-final match against
Werder Bremen, he scored the only goal from a penalty in a 3–1 loss as Bayer was eliminated; he finished as joint-second top scorer of the DFB-Pokal with four goals. On 23 April, Hernández scored the final goal in a 3–2 comeback victory against
Schalke 04. At the end of his
first season with Bayer, he finished as the club's top scorer, notching 17 goals in 28 league appearances. He was included in the Team of the Season. Hernández scored and provided an assist in Leverkusen's 2–1 win over
SC Hauenstein in the first round of the
DFB-Pokal on 21 August 2016. Two days later, it was reported that Hernández would miss Bayer's opening match of the
season against
Borussia Mönchengladbach after sustaining a broken hand. On 17 September, Hernández scored his first goal of the Bundesliga season at
Eintracht Frankfurt, however he missed a chance to equalise late from the penalty spot in the 2–1 loss. The following week at
FSV Mainz 05, Hernández collected a
perfect hat-trick that included a stoppage time winner, the third hat trick of the
Bundesliga season. Three days later, he scored Bayer's only goal against
Monaco in a
Champions League group stage 1–1 draw, marking his 100th goal in official European competitions. He was later named Bundesliga Player of the Month for September. On 28 January 2017, Hernández scored Bayer Leverkusen's second goal in the 2–3 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach, ending his eleven-match scoreless streak. On 11 February, he scored a brace against Eintracht Frankfurt in a 3–0 home victory. The following week, he scored another brace in a 3–1 away victory. On 21 February, following the match against
Atlético Madrid, Hernández became the Mexican player with the most appearances in the Champions League with 47, surpassing
Rafael Márquez's previous record of 46 appearances. His February performances led him to be named Bundesliga Player of the Month for the fifth time. Hernández finished his second season as the club's top scorer again, with 11 goals in 26 league appearances.
West Ham United 2017–20: Record transfer and sustained injuries On 24 July 2017, Hernández joined English club
West Ham United for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £16 million, signing a three-year contract. He was given the number 17 shirt. He made his debut for the West Ham on 13 August, playing all 90 minutes in the 4–0 defeat against his former club Manchester United at Old Trafford. The following week, Hernández scored his first two goals for West Ham in the 3–2 loss to
Southampton. In November, Hernández sustained a hamstring injury while on international duty with Mexico, and it was reported that he would be ruled out from activity for up to two weeks. Following the sacking of
Slaven Bilić and the appointment of David Moyes as manager, there were fears Moyes would sideline Hernández just as he had at Manchester. In response, Moyes referred to him as a "top goalscorer" and "a brilliant finisher". During the winter transfer window there were reports Hernández would leave after only six months, being linked with a move to Turkish club
Beşiktaş as well as a possible return to Manchester United. On 20 January 2018, he came off the bench to score the equalising goal for West Ham in their 1–1 league draw against
AFC Bournemouth, scoring his first goal since October. Following the match Moyes praised Hernández's performance, saying "we needed him today." On 8 April, in a league match against Chelsea, he scored a 73rd-minute goal to make the score 1–1, marking the ninth time he had scored against the club. in 2019 On 28 August 2018, Hernández scored West Ham's third goal in injury time of a 3–1 victory over
AFC Wimbledon in the second round of the
EFL Cup. In September, West Ham manager
Manuel Pellegrini declared that Hernández was suffering from
glandular fever, causing him to miss out various matches. He would recover and return to training in October. On 3 November, he scored his first Premier League goal of the
season in West Ham's 4–2 victory over
Burnley. On 22 February 2019, Hernández scored the equalising goal in West Ham's eventual 3–1 win over Fulham; on initial viewing, it looked like he had headed the ball in from a yard to score, however replays of the goal appeared to show the ball rebound off of Hernández's arm to put the ball into the net. It was also his 50th career Premier League goal, becoming the first Mexican to reach the milestone. He would get on the scoresheet again on 16 March, coming on as a second-half substitute and scoring twice—including the stoppage-time winner—to secure a 4–3 league victory over
Huddersfield. Prior to the start of the 19–20 season, he was given the number 9 shirt. Hernández scored his first goal of the
2019–20 Premier League season on 17 August as West Ham drew 1–1 with Brighton at
Falmer Stadium. On 30 August, Hernández handed in a transfer request to West Ham and flew to Spain to complete a medical ahead of a proposed €8 million move to
Sevilla.
Sevilla On 2 September, Hernández joined
La Liga club
Sevilla for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £7.3m, signing a three-year contract. He made his league debut on 15 September in an away match against
Alavés, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute in Sevilla's 1–0 win. Four days later, in a
Europa League group stage match against Azerbaijani side
Qarabağ FK, Hernández scored a free kick, the first in his career, in his side's 3–0 victory. Despite only spending half a season in
Seville, he won his first continental title, the 19-20 Europa League as he had featured in the group stages. On 27 October, he scored his first goal in La Liga with Sevilla in a 2–0 victory against
Getafe. With his playing time limited, he choose to leave Europe for a new challenge and be closer to his family in Mexico.
LA Galaxy On 21 January 2020, Hernández signed a three-year contract with
Major League Soccer club
LA Galaxy, and became the highest paid player in the league. He was brought in as a replacement for
Zlatan Ibrahimović, who had joined
AC Milan. He was named
captain for the
upcoming season. On 29 February, he made his MLS debut in the season opener against
Houston Dynamo in 1–1 draw, playing the entirety of the match. On July 13, he scored his first goal for the club against
Portland Timbers which ended in a 2–1 loss. He ended his first season with 12 appearances and 2 goals. In the first game of his
second season, on 18 April 2021, playing against
Inter Miami, he scored twice for a 3–2 victory. The following matchweek, he scored a hat-trick against
New York Red Bulls for another 3–2 victory. His performances led him to win the Player of the Month award for April/May. He was included in the roster for the
2021 MLS All-Star Game, but withdrew due to injury. He finished the season as the league's joint-third goalscorer and as the club's top scorer with 17 goals in 21 appearances. He was named the club's Player of the Year and was also a finalist for that season's
Comeback Player of the Year. In the first game of his
third season, on 27 February 2022, Hernández scored the only goal in a victory over
New York City FC. Hernández was chosen to participate at the
2022 MLS All-Star Game, where he was named captain. After scoring 12 goals and playing 60% of games as a starter, his contract automatically renewed for an additional year. Hernández ended the 2022 season as the league's joint-fourth goalscorer and the club's top scorer with 18 goals in 32 appearances. As the team finished in fourth place of the
Western Conference, it qualified for the
MLS Cup Playoffs, where they were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals against rivals
Los Angeles FC. His performances led him to win a second Player of the Year award. During the club's 7 June quarterfinal match against
Real Salt Lake in the
2023 U.S. Open Cup, Hernández suffered a torn ACL, ending his
2023 season. He left the club on 3 November.
Return to C.D. Guadalajara On 24 January 2024, Hernández returned to Mexico, as he signed a two-year contract, with an option for an additional year, with
Guadalajara (Chivas), the club where he began his professional career in 2006. One month after rejoining his former club, Hernández made his debut against
Pumas UNAM, when he came off the bench in the 88th minute. Hernández scored his first goal of the tournament in a match against
Puebla, the first in a 3–2 victory. His return to Chivas has not gone well, due to poor form, fitness challenges and disciplinary issues that have led to reprimands from both club and national boards. On 11 December 2025, the Guadalajara board announced the departure of Hernández from the club, since the player's contract was ending and it was decided not to renew it. ==International career==