Mexico forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez hopes 2018 is a year to remember for himself personally and also for El Tri fans.
In an interview with West Ham's official website, the 29-year-old said 2017 was a good year, as he achieved a number of landmarks. However, his ambition is that Mexico not only gets out of its World Cup group with Germany, Sweden and South Korea but also that the team be in contention to lift the trophy.
“We are not only aiming for the quarterfinals. We don’t want to set a limit on our ambitions. We want to aim as high as we can because we know we have the potential," he said. "Every team in the World Cup has a chance and we want to do our best ever, to get to the final and even win the World Cup.”
El Tri have struggled to get into the quarterfinals in past tournaments, doing it only in World Cups hosted on Mexican soil. The path to achieve that goal looks difficult, with Brazil a potential roadblock should Mexico get out of the group. For the forward, the next few months will be critical as Mexico puts the finishing touches on its squad before beginning the tournament.
“You cannot say which of those teams is going to qualify for the next stage. Germany is obviously the favorite, but all the other three will be trying to get through," Chicharito said. “We have a good preparation period over the next six months, with a lot of games in the month before the World Cup which will be crucial to help us be ready and be as fit as we can be to be at the top level at the tournament."
Fitness may be a concern for Chicharito. He moved to West Ham before the season but the team has struggled and replaced manager Slaven Bilic in November. David Moyes took over during the November international window, and the forward suffered a hamstring injury in Mexico's first match of the break. He spent most of the month recovering from injury and is yet to start in Premier League play under Moyes since his return to the field in early December.
The Guadalajara native admitted his frustration at not getting more minutes but said the year as a whole had been a positive one.
“Last year was unbelievable for me, talking not only in football but outside of the pitch in my personal life. It went pretty well and I’ve been very, very happy," he said. "The last month or two has been more difficult, first because I was injured and then because I’ve not been as involved as I wanted to be, obviously, but it was a great year overall.
“I became the all-time record goal-scorer for my national team, I broke 100 caps as well, played in the Confederations Cup and made a very good impression around the world that Mexico is improving as a football team. It was not a bad year at all and hopefully 2018 will be even better!”