Chicharito would not have been able to play for Chivas this season | OneFootball

With Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández likely headed to Los Angeles to play for the Galaxy of Major League Soccer, many Chivas fans wondered why the Sacred Flock did not take a harder at the striker, who is obviously willing to leave Europe.

In addition to the high cost of the attacker’s salary, there’s a simple FIFA rule that would have made it impossible for him to feature during the 2020 Clausura: Chicharito cannot play for a third club this season.

Mexico’s all-time leading scorer made two Premier League appearances with West Ham before his €7.75m move to Sevilla, where he’s featured 15 times.

There are exceptions to the rule, however. Chicharito can currently play in annual tournaments. This means that the 31-year-old could go play in MLS, Brazil, Japan, and Sweden, amongst other leagues that fulfil their entire season in 2020.

Despite split seasons, Liga MX is played from July until May, so they are excluded from being included in this rule.