Zlatan Ibrahimovic set a precedent in 2018 and not precisely because of something positive, but because his refusal to play that year’s All-Star Game led MLS to establish the ‘Zlatan’ rule and which today in day could affect Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez.
The rule dictates that if a player decides not to participate in the All-Star Game he may not appear in his team’s next league game, either to encourage players to participate and prevent evasion.
However, Chicharito’s case is complicated. The Mexican striker has 11 consecutive games without appearing with LA Galaxy due to a calf injury. The club has taken his recovery with caution to avoid relapses later and was looking forward to having him next weekend at the Traffic Classic against LAFC.
The situation is that, in the middle of the week, he crosses the All-Star Game and tests individual skills in which Chicharito is enrolled as one of the MLS figures.
That is, if the club and Hernandez chose not to participate for fear of slowing their progress, they could not be present in the Angelina rivalry on Saturday.
“We have a plan that has already been communicated to the league. It’s not the place for me to discuss what has been talked about internally, but it’s an ongoing conversation,” coach Greg Vanney said Friday after the game against Earthquakes.
Even before the injury, Chicharito had started in 2021 at a great time. Javier remains the team’s top scorer after his 10 points in the same number of matches. The last game he played was on June 26 when they beat San Jose with a Mexican double.
“Our time for Javier’s return will be the safest to have him on the field and in the best way he can to finish the season,” Vanney said.