It's hard to say if Bayer Leverkusen knew they were gong to pick up a heck of a lot more fans after bringing in Mexican striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez from Manchester United, but that is what happened.
We can tell that's what happened because when the transfer was announced earlier this week Bayer Leverkusen's website actually crashed.
It seems to us that no team really understands how huge soccer is in Mexico until they bring aboard a Mexican player. Chicharito's transfer announcement garnered more than 50,000 likes on Facebook and more than 15,000 retweets.
Chicharito, while not one of the truly elite players in terms of talent, is one of the truly elite players in terms of notoriety, simply because he's the best Mexican player right now, and the most successful Mexican in Europe since Hugo Sanchez.
That means wherever Chicharito goes, fans and reporters follow. Bayer Leverkusen just learned that, and will probably make back Chicharito's transfer fee in jersey sales alone. Provided their website can handle all the orders, that is.
(H/T Vice Sports)
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
