Mexican striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez was named last week’s Best Player by a worldwide poll conducted by the Associated Press, adding to his recent feats, including the Bundesliga Player of the Month in November.
The fact is that Chicharito has been on fire and consistently scoring. He scored a hat trick in 13 minutes against Borussia Monghengladback over the weekend. Borussia was just off a victory over champion German team Bayer Munich.
WATCH: Chicharito Scores Hat Trick in 13 Minutes
He then scored a goal in the 3-1 victory against lower division team Untehaching in German Cup play. He also assisted in the goal by Stefan Kiebling.
Last week, Chicharito also scored the only goal in the 1-1 draw against Barcelona in Champions League play. Lionel Messi scored for the Spanish superteam.
"Javier Hernandez has found his place in the world with Bayer Leverkusen,” wrote Colombian ESPN journalist Tito Puccetti. “And to think that Louis van Gaal's team discarded him from Manchester United.”
Chicharito has scored 17 goals in 20 games. Happy for him tbh cos if he stayed in this man Utd he won't have scored anywhere near that
— Martial law (@Akin_d)
December 16, 2015
Chicharito: "Best game for Real Madrid? That must have been the one vs Atlético Madrid in the Champions League." pic.twitter.com/SvzF2F6lcy
— SocialRMadrid (@SocialRMadrid)
December 16, 2015
Chicharito: "It was very easy for me to say yes when Real Madrid asked me to play for them." pic.twitter.com/sgwkApLh8g
— SocialRMadrid (@SocialRMadrid)
December 16, 2015
@CH14_ @rioferdy5 Chicharito ROCKS! Excellent player! ����⚽️����
— Martha Khatchatooria (@MarthaAnnaK)
December 16, 2015
Chicharito already has as many goals in 21 games with Leverkusen as he had in 73 games with Man U and Real Madrid. pic.twitter.com/InO8b2e7kt
— ESPN (@espn)
December 16, 2015
Hernandez has scored five more goals with Leverkusen over the last 12 games than the whole of the Manchester United team. Chicharito has scored 15 goals in his last dozen appearances in all competitions.
Chicharito, 27, now has a total of 17 goals in 20 games, Marco Monteverde of the Australian News Corp. “Manchester United would love having Hernandez now.”
He has become the only Mexican player to ever score a brace (two goals in one game) and a hat trick in Bundesliga. He is also the only Mexican to score in seven straight games in all of Europe. His top performance has opened new doors for him, with Chelsea eyeing him, as well as the new team Los Angeles Football Club, which will join Major League Soccer in the United States in 2018.
AP's top 10 list also included Zlatan Ibrahimovic in second place, as he scored three times for PSG. Jamie Vardy was named in third place after scoring the first Leicester goal in the 2-1 victory against Chelsea.
Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Robert Lewandowski, Riyad Mahrez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mauro Icardi and Paulo Dybala are the other top 10 best players of the week, according to the AP poll.
WATCH: Chicharito’s Most Recent Goal