| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Gerardo Hernández Valverde | ||
| Date of birth | 9 April 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Guancaste, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Melbourne Victory | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| LD Alajuelense | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2009 | LD Alajuelense | 82 | (19) |
| 2007–2009 | → Melbourne Victory (loan) | 41 | (8) |
| 2009– | Melbourne Victory | 69 | (25) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2001 | Costa Rica U-20 | 4 | (2) |
| 2004 | Costa Rica U-23 | 11 | (6) |
| 2004– | Costa Rica | 35 | (7) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:30, 25 December 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Carlos Hernández Valverde (born April 9, 1982), better known in Australia as Carlos Hernandez, is a Costa Rican football (soccer) player who currently plays as a midfielder for Melbourne Victory in the Australian A-League.
Contents |
Hernandez had become one of the most important players in the Primera División de Costa Rica, the Costa Rican national league, where he was the top assister in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. He had built a reputation as a great scorer from long and middle distances combined with high level vision and technique that made him one of the most dangerous midfielders in the region.
However, Hernandez struggled with injury in the 2006-07 season which also resulted in weight gain. In a bid to regain his former self, he was loaned out to A-League club Melbourne Victory.
On June 12, 2007, it was confirmed by Melbourne Victory that Hernandez had signed for the Australian Club on a two year loan from LD Alajuelense. He made his first appearance for the club in their 1-0 A-League Pre-Season Cup loss to the Newcastle Jets, coming on as a substitute in the 70th minute. In the next game on July 28, 2007 he got his first start against Perth Glory scoring his first goal for the Victory.
Early on during his first season with Melbourne, he was criticised by a portion of the Melbourne supporters and was said to be 'overweight'
Hernandez scored his first league goal for Melbourne Victory against Perth Glory at Docklands Stadium on 21 October 2007, helping Melbourne to a 2-1 win at home.[1]
Towards the end of the season, Hernandez' fitness improved and he struck form, becoming a regular goal scorer and assister. One of Hernández most famous games for the Victory was when he scored Melbourne's only goal against Juventus in a friendly at the Docklands Stadium in May 2008. The goal was a cracking curling effort from just outside the box leaving Juventus goalkeeper Jess Vanstrattan with no chance. He scored the opening goal in Melbourne's 5-0 thrashing of reigning A-League champions Newcastle Jets in Round 3 of the 2008-09 season at the Docklands Stadium.[2] His 6th goal for the club came against the Central Coast Mariners in Round 20,[3] a cracking free kick that went through the wall and through the legs of helpless keeper Danny Vukovic. He won widespread acclaim for his performance in Melbourne's 4-0 A-League semi-final second leg win over Adelaide United, in which he scored one goal and assisted for the other three.[4]
On April 1, 2009, Hernandez claimed on Costa Rican television that the Victory had bought him from LD Alajuelense and he had signed a three year deal. It was reported that he would go on loan to MLS club Los Angeles Galaxy until the start of the A-League season in August.[5] The Galaxy has since denied any interest in Hernandez.[6]
On April 17, 2009, the Costa Rican newspaper La Nación reported that Melbourne Victory and LD Alajuelense had finally come to an agreement regarding the sale of the player for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of $850,000[7] and his signing was officially announced by the club on May 14.[8]
On September 26, 2009, Hernandez scored a goal that many feel is the A-League finest in its history thus far helping his side win against Gold Coast United 3-2. The 35 yard hit again left Jess Vanstrattan with little chance as it tore into the top left corner.[9]
On 15 February 2010, Hernandez won the Johnny Warren Medal for best player in the A-League for season 2009-10, awarded at The Ivy in Sydney.[10][11]
In November 2011, rumors of a potential move to Los Angeles Galaxy began to resurface with the club attempting to strengthen the squad while bracing for the potential departure of David Beckham..
He has been an important player for the Costa Rican national team at numerous levels, playing in the under-20 Football World Youth Championship held in Argentina, as well as representing the country with the U-23 team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He has also been capped for the senior national team on 30 occasions, playing for the team during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and scoring some important goals. He scored a cracker in his last international against France national football team, drilling a shot from 25 metres out into the left hand side of the net.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 September 2004 | FIU Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, USA | Guatemala | 1 - 0 | 2 - 0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 19 November 2004 | Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, Costa Rica | Canada | 2 - 1 | 2 - 1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 12 June 2005 | Estadio Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba | Guatemala | 1 - 2 | 2 - 2 | World Cup qualifier |
| 4 | 4 September 2005 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City | United States | 0 - 1 | 1 - 3 | World Cup qualifier |
| 5 | 7 September 2005 | Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San José, Costa Rica | United States | 1 - 0 | 2 - 0 | World Cup qualifier |
| 6 | 9 November 2006 | Stade d'Honneur de Dillon, Fort-de-France, Martinique | Iran | 0 - 1 | 3 - 2 | Friendly |
| 7 | 11 February 2010 | Rose Bowl, Pasadena, USA | France | 1 - 0 | 1 - 0 | Friendly |
Correct as of November 27, 2010.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| L.D. Alajuelense | 2001-02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 8 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002-03 | 10 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2003-04 | 16 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | 6 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 4 | 8 | |
| 2004-05 | 24 | 3 | 12 | - | - | - | 8 | 4 | 2 | 31 | 7 | 14 | |
| 2005-06 | 20 | 6 | 11 | - | - | - | 7 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 7 | 13 | |
| 2006-07 | 12 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 2 | |
| L.D. Alajuelense total | 82 | 19 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 7 | 7 | 117 | 26 | 38 | |
| Melbourne Victory | 2007-08 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 7 | 3 |
| 2008-09 | 21 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 25 | 5 | 7 | |
| 2009-10 | 28 | 13 | 9 | - | - | - | 6 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 13 | 11 | |
| 2010-11 | 30 | 5 | 7 | - | - | - | 4 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 6 | 9 | |
| 2011-12 | 11 | 6 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 11 | 6 | 2 | |
| Melbourne Victory total | 110 | 32 | 27 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 129 | 37 | 32 | |
| Career total | 192 | 51 | 58 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 46 | 9 | 11 | 245 | 63 | 70 | |
With L.D. Alajuelense:
With Melbourne Victory:
Individual:
|
|||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||