Fansided

El Tri stars making headlines across Europe

By Thomas Buckley

Raúl Jiménez celebrates after scoring for Wolves Wanderers celebrates after scoring against Braga in a Europa League match on Nov. 28. (Photo by Sam Bagnall - AMA/Getty Images)
Raúl Jiménez celebrates after scoring for Wolves Wanderers celebrates after scoring against Braga in a Europa League match on Nov. 28. (Photo by Sam Bagnall - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Raúl Jiménez made history in England while “Chicharito” could be joining MLS in the near future.

Team Mexico has completed its schedule for the year and can boast a world ranking of No. 11 heading into 2020. But that doesn’t mean El Tri isn’t making headlines.

Gerardo Martino’s first-choice striker Raúl Jiménez made history Monday becoming the first Mexican player to win a Player of the Month Award in the English Premier League. The former América star plays for Wolverhampton in the EPL and Wolves went 2-1-0 in the month of November with Jiménez scoring a goal in each game.

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There was a FIFA break in the middle of the month so Premier League teams only played three times and nobody in the league scored more goals than Raúl. The award is determined by fan voting and Jiménez earned a massive 84 percent of the vote to win easily.

On the mainland, there is word that Javier “Chicharito” Hernández will listen to recruiting pitches from MLS. The U.S. soccer league has long been recruiting “Chicharito” who is expected to be a huge draw and a popular player if he joins MLS.

El Tri making noise
“Chicharito” gestures after scoring Sevilla’s opening goal during an Oct. 27 match against Getafe. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /

In years past, “Chicharito” has declined offers to play in the United States, preferring to continue his career in Europe. However, since an injury-filled season in 2017 with Bayer Leverkusen, “Chicharito” has seen his opportunities diminish. The all-time leading scorer for El Tri moved to the EPL in July 2017, joining West Ham where he was unable to win a starting spot. After two years with the Hammers, the former Chivas star agreed to a deal with Sevilla in September 2019, returning to La Liga where he spent a year on loan with Real Madrid.

As the winter transfer window approaches, Hernández is again finding it difficult to get onto the playing field. Over the weekend, “Chicharito” admitted to the Los Angeles Times that he is considering a potential move to MLS. Part of the reason for accepting such a move might be the realization that he might not get an invitation to future El Tri training camps if he is not playing regularly.

A former member of El Tri also made headlines the past few days as Barcelona is looking for help on offense after winger Ousmane Dembele suffered a thigh injury that is expected to keep him out of action for at least 10 weeks. That jump-started the Carlos Vela-to-Barcelona rumors again.

Vela is reportedly a target for Barcelona who might be interested in arranging a loan deal for the 2019 MLS MVP. Such a move which would reunite Vela with former Real Sociedad teammate Antoine Griezmann. Vela and Griezmann formed a dynamic duo at La Real for three seasons, a period that the World Cup-winning Frenchman has called the best times of his career.

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