Mexico, Korea's CONCACAF World Cup group-stage opponent, is drawing intense internal attention even before the tournament begins. Javier Hernández, Chicharito, the legendary Mexican striker, delivered harsh criticism of his country's football culture.
Mexican outlets such as Record and MedioTiempo reported that Chicharito recently gave candid opinions in an interview with FOX Deportes about the expectations of Mexican fans for the national team and the ways they criticize it.
Chicharito said, "Mexico is a very emotional culture. We are more affected by emotions than we think." It was a remark that put the brakes on Mexico's excited atmosphere as the host nation of the World Cup.
Mexican football has received high expectations at every World Cup, but harsh evaluations between expectations and results have been repeated. Because this tournament is being held at home, that pressure can only grow. The greater the fans' passion, the greater the burden on the players.
Chicharito said, "I understand the desire for the national team to do well. But if you approach it only emotionally, you end up thinking Mexico is on the same level as England or Brazil. The reality is not like that."
His point was that while expectations are high with Mexico enjoying the host advantage, a calm assessment of strength is also necessary. He argued that Mexico's current standing should not be placed on the same level as teams mentioned as title contenders, like England and Brazil.
Chicharito was a striker who symbolized Mexican football. He is familiar to domestic fans for playing with Park Ji-sung at Manchester United. He played for Man United from 2010 to 2015, and later played for Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham, Sevilla, and LA Galaxy, among others.
He is also Mexico's marquee scorer, with 52 goals in 109 A internationals. He appeared in three World Cups, from the 2010 South Africa tournament to 2014 Brazil and 2018 Russia. At the 2018 Russia World Cup, he scored against Korea.
Chicharito said, "When a player says their goal is to win the World Cup, they are criticized. Yet at the same time, fans demand the national team to win. It's a hard-to-understand part."
He was pointing out the atmosphere that tells players to speak realistically while demanding victory as the result. He saw this trend as making evaluations of the squad and the national team more unstable.
His final remarks were more direct. He said, "Whether we reach the round of 16, the semifinals, the final, or even win, it ultimately comes down to a cultural problem. We fail to properly acknowledge good things, and we are not used to sharing joy when someone does well. Jealousy often comes first." He added that he hoped this atmosphere would change little by little.
The remarks are also interesting from Korea's perspective. Mexico competes in Group A of the CONCACAF World Cup with South Africa, Korea, and the Czech Republic. Mexico plays South Africa in the first match and meets Korea in the second. Korea also faces Mexico after finishing its first match against the Czech Republic. Mexico's home advantage is certainly a burden. However, as Chicharito noted, the gap between expectation and reality is another variable Mexico must carry.
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