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Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen late Tuesday congratulated their forward, Mexican Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, after being named 2015 Concacaf Player of the Year, the Tribal Football news outlet reported.
“It's good for Bayer to have a star player like him,” said midfielder Christoph Kramer. “We're getting more traction on social media and fans and the press alike are following us more closely.”
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While his team hailed him as “a big star,” Kramer added that, “Chicharito entices people to watch us, he helps the club sell more shirts, especially in Central and North America."
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association of Football announced the winners of its yearly awards on Friday and the Mexican striker was named 2015 player of the year, while U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd was named Concacaf's 2015 Female Player of the Year.
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According to Concacaf's website, “Hernandez, who has been in exceptional form with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League, stood out for his performances with the Mexican National Team.”
The regional soccer association added that Chicharito “scored the first goal in a 3-2 Concacaf Cup triumph over the United States, which gave the Tricolor a berth in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.”
“He's a star, but not your typical big name player; he's played for Real Madrid and Manchester United but he's still a very discreet and sensible guy beneath it all," Kramer said.
The year 2015 was sort of a rebirth for Chicharito who had been neglected to the benches by Real Madrid and Manchester United, who finally decided to sell him off to Leverkusen in the summer.
Hernandez has since scored 19 goals in 21 games for Leverkusen, including a hat trick and a couple braces.
Chicharito was also named Bundesliga player of the month in November and December, while AP named him player of the world one week.
His “extraordinary” performance has created interest among at least three Premier League teams, while his transfer fee has about doubled from about US$18 million to US$38 million, according to various news reports.
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