Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez was quick to accept blame after his missed penalty kick Monday night against the Portland Timbers, a position he’s been in more often than one might realize.
Chicharito, the all-time leading scorer for Mexico’s national team and a two-time Premier League champion, has experienced ups and downs from the PK spot throughout his career. When scanning available data on FBref.com stretching back to 2006, Chicharito has gone 12-for-21 from the spot.
It's a head-turning stat line for a striker who's scored over 220 goals for club and country, though he has admittedly played on some of the world's best teams with plenty of competition to take spot kicks. With available data, here’s what Chicharito’s track record from 12 yards out looks like. Penalty attempt records for North/South American and cup competitions during his early career with Chivas through 2010, aren’t available:
- Mexico (2009-present): 5-for-8
- Chivas (2006-10): 2-for-4
- Manchester United (2010-14; 2015): 2-for-3
- Bayer Leverkusen (2016-18): 3-for-5
- LA Galaxy (2020-present): 0-for-1
- West Ham, Sevilla, Real Madrid: No PKs taken
On a positive note, Chicharito recently scored his first goal with the Galaxy, finishing from close range in the 2-1 defeat against Portland. He was brought in to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic and carries a weighty Designated Player tag, though perhaps the PKs will go elsewhere moving forward.
"It's not the greatest taste to score your first goal in a loss like this one and then when you miss a penalty obviously so. I told the lads that this one was on me," Hernandez said after the match. "I always believe that in this sport, even when sometimes the goalscorer can score the last minute goal, he's not a hero."
