What will Chicharito’s salary be at LA Galaxy in 2023?

Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández will continue to play for LA Galaxy in 2023, as his performances this year have triggered a contract extension which will keep him at the club for at least another season. But it won’t come cheap to the Galaxy, who will be forced to fork out another $6 million to hang onto the striker’s services.

‘Chicharito’ became Major League Soccer’s highest earner when he joined the club back in January 2020 and is now in second place on the list, behind compatriot Carlos Vela of neighbouring Los Angeles City FC, who reportedly earns $6.3 million per year.

‘Chicharito’ helps LA Galaxy qualify for MLS Cup playoffs

There had been speculation as to whether Hernández would stay in California after coming to the end of a three-year deal but the striker confirmed that scoring more than 11 goals and playing more than 60% of Galaxy’s total minutes this season meant that his contract would automatically renew for 2023. ‘Chicharito’ has netted a total of 17 MLS goals this term – the same as in 2021 – and has played 31 of his club’s 33 league matches, helping Galaxy clinch a place in the Audi 2022 MLS Cup playoffs.

Hernández not likely to play for Mexico in 2022 World Cup

Since coming through at Chivas in the 2006-2007 season, Hernández has become one of Mexican football’s biggest stars and is currently the all-time top scorer for the Mexican national team, having netted 52 goals in 109 caps. However, he hasn’t played for his country since September 2019 because of his fractured relationship with Mexico head coach Gerardo Martino. Martino last month claimed that there was no chance of a 2022 World Cup roster spot for Hernández, who played in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions of the tournament, but the striker has himself talked of his availability and interest in being called upon. With Wolves forward Raúl Jiménez likely to miss the competition because of injury, could Martino yet have a change of heart?

Hernández’s breakout season came at Chivas in 2009-10, in which he scored 21 goals in 28 Liga MX matches. That earned him a move to the Premier League and Manchester United, for whom he scored a total of 59 times in all competitions in six seasons. After a loan spell with Spanish giants Real Madrid, his most prolific campaign in Europe was in 2015-16, when he netted 17 Bundesliga goals and 26 times in all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen.