After much anticipation, the Liga MX has added another A-lister for the 2024 Clausura. On Wednesday, Chivas announced that Mexican great Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez had officially signed with them.

The club made the announcement on their social media accounts, using soccer commentators from Mexico and Europe in a video. There are also legendary players and coaches from the player’s past, such as Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United and Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid.

“ChivaBrothers, it’s official! Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández returns to the team of his Amores for the Clausura 2024. We are convinced that his love for the institution, the experience acquired during his successful career and the leadership that characterizes him will be reflected in this new stage with Chivas,” the club said.

What did Chicharito say?

After his contract with LA Galaxy ended at the beginning of the new year, Chicharito was free to sign with any team he wanted. He sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear last summer and has been training in Miami ever since.

Agents were hard at work renegotiating his return to Chivas, the team he had his youth career start with when he was nine years old, his hometown club. The 35-year-old announced his move in a social media post.

“My home, my family, my team, my everything. See you soon!”

Insiders at Club Deportivo Guadalajara have spilled the beans on their new signing’s impending presentation. All the specifics of the celebration, which will take place at Akron Stadium, are yet unknown. But according to Diario AS, Hernandez will be introduced as a new player for Chivas on Jan. 27.

Chicharito returns to Chivas after 13 years

Several clubs in the Major League Soccer, Europe, and Saudi Arabia reportedly offered him contracts, per ESPN. Nobody, however, could compare to the idea of going back to Guadalajara.

During his four years with the Los Angeles Galaxy, he made 82 appearances in Major League Soccer and scored 39 goals, leading his team to an All-Star selection in 2022.

Before relocating to the United States, Hernandez won two Premier League championships while playing for Manchester United in Europe. His journey continued with stops at Real Madrid, Sevilla, West Ham, and Bayer Leverkusen.

With 52 goals in 109 games for Mexico’s men’s national team, he is the overall top scorer. However, he hasn’t had an El Tri appearance since 2019. All things considered, Chicharito has been out of action since June 7, 2023, and the US Open Cup Quarterfinals.

On Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, Chivas will open its Concacaf Champions Cup campaign against Forge FC. The striker’s availability in the match against Forge is still unclear.

In the 2023 Apertura regular season, Chivas came in at number five. Afterward, they lost in the quarterfinals in the subsequent playoffs. Former Boca Juniors and Real Madrid player Fernando Gago took over for the fired Veljko Paunovic as head coach of the club last month.

Since the start of the Liga MX Clausura season, Chivas has gone winless in two games. After a tie with Santos Laguna and a loss to Tigres, the Mexican giants dropped to 10th place in Liga MX Clausura.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.