Javier Hernandez needed just 31 minutes to find the back of the net for Manchester United in 2010 with the sort of goal few, if any, have ever scored.
Chicharito’s move to Manchester United was one of those rare modern deals that seemed to get wrapped up without any build-up, and once the 2010 World Cup got underway we couldn’t help but wonder why.
The Mexican announced himself in South Africa, scoring El Tri’s opener in a shock win over France and adding another goal in the controversial second-round defeat to Argentina. There might have still been question marks over how quickly he’d be able to translate that into goals in England, but he made sure there was nothing to worry about there either.
Both World Cup goals gave us glimpses of his game in different ways. The strike against Argentina demonstrated a change of direction which would serve him well in England when it came to escaping tight markers and creating something out of nothing.
The deadlock-breaker against Les Bleus, meanwhile, highlighted an element of his game which would prove more important: the movement he made when no one was looking.
As part of a United side whose most dangerous attacking outlets were very familiar to opponents, having someone capable of sneaking in unannounced could prove crucial. And sure enough, it didn’t take long for that to be the case.
We were given more of a flavour of Chicharito’s abilities in pre-season when United fans eager for a glimpse of their new signing were the only ones playing especially close attention.
He scored twice against foreign opposition, including a goal against the MLS All-Star XI which saw him once again beat the offside trap so comprehensively you wondered why the other team had bothered with one to begin with.
Goalkeeper Nick Rimando had marshalled by far the best defence in the MLS regular season, conceding just 20 goals in 30 games, but he was helpless to keep out United’s new man.
Confidence clearly wasn’t an issue going into the new campaign, and we’d soon learn luck wasn’t an obstacle either.
Hernendez made his domestic debut in the 2010 Community Shield, with United taking on Chelsea after Carlo Ancelotti’s club had won the domestic Double the previous year.
The match was rare for its lack of new signings on display – no new arrivals started for either team – but the Mexico…
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