En declaraciones para la BBC de Londres, en reciente visita del distinguido medio de comunicación británico al Estadio Omnilife para entrevista exclusiva con el Presidente del Consejo de Administración del Grupo Omnilife - Chivas, Jorge Vergara respondió el tema de uno de los iconos del Futbol Mexicano, surgido de la cantera rojiblanca, Javier "Chicharito" Hernández.
En entrevista con Will Grant, corresponsal de la BBC en México, Jorge Vergara señaló que "presionó" para que debutara Javier Hernández, siendo que realmente Jorge Vergara se refirió a la continuidad que debía tener el delantero tapatío con el cuadro rojiblanco en las temporadas posteriores a su debut celebrado durante el torneo de Apertura 2006. Reconocemos que la palabra debut pudo haber trastocado la idea expresada.
Tras su debut en la Primera División, Javier Hernández disputó sólo 16 encuentros en cuatro torneos con la Primera División de Chivas, ninguno de ellos como titular, razón por la cual Jorge Vergara refirió coloquialmente como "amenaza" al entonces técnico de Chivas, con llevar al "Chicharito" a la MLS de los Estados Unidos dado los acuerdos de colaboración existentes con su hermano rojiblanco Chivas USA, a fin de que el delantero tuviera la continuidad que necesitaba para su despegue profesional.
En toda la entrevista con la BBC, Jorge Vergara no menciona en ningún momento el nombre del hoy estratega de la Selección Nacional, José Manuel de la Torre, quien fue el Director Técnico que debutó y apoyó a Javier Hernández, mientras dirigió en Chivas.
Obra en nuestra poder, la grabación original y la nota publicada por la BBC, quien de manera profesional, reprodujo exactamente la entrevista.
Atentamente
Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A. de C.V.
Nota publicada por la BBC Sports de Londres.
The vitamin tycoon who boosted Javier Hernandez's career
"It was me who gave 'El Chicharito' his debut," says Jorge Vergara belligerently.
In an era when directors and owners of football clubs are becoming as well-known as their managers, Vergara has no qualms about meddling in on-pitch matters. Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez's senior bow for Chivas, as a teenager in 2006, was a case in point. Now 23, Hernandez, who is widely known by his nickname Chicharito - which translated into Spanish means 'little pea', established himself quickly at Old Trafford, helping United to their 19th League title last May. "The then-coach didn't want him to debut. It is amazing how some coaches think," Vergara recalls with a headshake of derision. "So I kind of threatened him and said 'If you don't want him, I'll take him to the United States'." It was no hollow threat. Since Vergara took over Chivas in 2002, he has expanded the brand to launch teams in the United States and China.
The original club is based in Mexico's second city, Guadalajara, where Vergara is from. He made his fortune through vitamin supplements and moved into football by buying his local club when it was at its lowest ebb, on and off the pitch. "It was financially broke. Sports-wise it was a complete failure and it was in really deep trouble," Vergara, who is also a film producer, adds. "So we launched new marketing strategies, we cleaned up the shirt which had 30 different sponsors on it, to dignify the brand. We started to recruit youngsters to build for the medium to long-term rather than just from one season to the next."
Use accessible player and disable flyout menus Jorge Vergara came from humble beginnings to become one of Mexico's richest men He also built the club a beautifully designed new ground, the Omnilife Stadium, named after his vitamin supplements company. Manchester United travelled to Guadalajara to play a friendly against Chivas to unveil the new stadium as part of the deal which took Chicharito to Old Trafford. The philosophy of Chivas is based on two things: youth and Mexico. Chivas is almost unique in the world for fielding only Mexican players. "The other team doing this is Athletic Bilbao. But it's harder for them, they can only choose from the Basque country," Vergara says. As well as Hernandez, other promising young players to emerge from Guadalajara include Arsenal's Carlos Vela and Fulham defender Carlos Salcido. So how does it feel to be known as the man who sold 'El Chicharito' to Manchester United in April 2010? Vergara agreed to sell the Guadalajara-born striker to United for a fee believed to have been about £6m. "People say it was a steal. Well, I did make 25,000% profit on him, so it wasn't that bad," he says.
CHICHARITO HONOURS
Plus, the deal helped put Chivas on the map. "It opened doors for us," Vergara says. "It has been good for Mexico too. [Hernandez] has given people another impression of Mexico and of success here." This season, however, success has been noticeably lacking at Chivas. The team have only gained a single point from six fixtures, leaving them firmly planted to the bottom of the table. On the day BBC Sport met Vergara, Chivas lost at home 2-0 to Tijuana, prompting the coach Fernando Quirarte to resign. He was the 15th different coach during the Vergara reign. While the team's emphasis on youth is admirable, it is no guarantee of trophies for Mexico's most-successful team. Some fans fear the club is becoming a feeder team for Europe's elite and any future 'Chicharito' will be out of the door before Chivas can reap any benefit. But Vergara has dismissed these concerns. "We want this to become the best team in the world," he says, without a hint of irony. "El Chicharito is an example of what we want to create. "We want 11 like him. Not just how he plays, but who he is, the principles he works by and what he believes." It is a sentiment most Manchester United fans would undoubtedly echo.
