Luis Hernández

Luis Arturo Hernández Carreón (born 22 December 1968), commonly known as El Matador (English: The Bullfighter), is a Mexican former professional footballer. He is widely regarded as one of Mexico's most talented strikers, as well as one of the best North American players of all time.

On the international stage, Hernández made 85 appearances and scored 35 goals. He represented Mexico at the FIFA World Cup in 1998 and 2002. Along with Javier Hernández and Julián Quiñones, he is Mexico's all-time leading FIFA World Cup goalscorer.

Club career Born on 22 December 1968, in Poza Rica, Veracruz, Hernández began his professional career as a center forward with Cruz Azul, making his first-team debut on 22 August 1990, at the age of 21. He stayed with the club until 1992, splitting his playing time with affiliate side Querétaro. That year, he joined Monterrey, and two seasons later moved to Necaxa. His arrival coincided with a remarkable era of success for the club, during which they captured two consecutive Primera División titles, the Copa México, the CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup, and the Campeón de Campeones.

His prolific scoring and dynamic play earned him a call from Boca Juniors in 1997, personally recommended by Diego Maradona and Julio César Toresani after his standout performance in the Copa América that year. In Argentina, his resemblance to Claudio Caniggia earned him the nickname El Pájaro (“The Bird”), but his time there was short-lived. With Boca's foreign player quota already filled, Hernández saw limited action, featuring only in three Supercopa Sudamericana matches before returning to Mexico a month later.

Back with Necaxa, he rediscovered his form, scoring 9 goals in just 12 matches, before moving to Tigres UANL. With Tigres, he netted 38 goals in 64 games and achieved the rare feat of scoring in the Clásico Regiomontano for both Monterrey clubs, Monterrey and Tigres.

In 2000, Hernández took his talents to the United States, signing with the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer. Over two seasons, he scored 15 goals in 40 appearances across league and playoff matches. He returned to Mexico in 2002, playing for Club América, Veracruz, Chiapas, and Lobos BUAP before bringing his playing career to a close in 2005.

International career Hernández earned his first international cap for Mexico on 1 February 1995, in a match against Uruguay. Later that year, he netted his first international goal against Yugoslavia.

Hernández rose to prominence during the 1997 Copa América, where he struck six times to finish as the tournament's top scorer. His momentum carried into the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he scored four goals—making him one of the competition's leading scorers and the first Mexican player to record more than two goals in a single World Cup.

On January 31, 2001, Hernández netted his 35th international goal, surpassing Carlos Hermosillo’s record to become Mexico’s all-time leading scorer

He also featured in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, appearing as a substitute in three matches but failing to find the net. His final appearance for the national team came on 17 June 2002, in a match against the United States.

He retired from the national team as its all-time leading goalscorer, a record he held until Jared Borgetti surpassed it three years later.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hernández goal.

Honours Monterrey Mexican Primera División runner-up: 1992–93 CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup: 1993

Necaxa Mexican Primera División: 1994–95, 1995–96 Copa México: 1994–95 Campeón de Campeones: 1995 CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup: 1994

Boca Juniors Argentine Primera División runner-up: Apertura 1997

LA Galaxy MLS Cup runner-up: 2001 Western Conference Regular Season: 2001 U.S. Open Cup: 2001 CONCACAF Champions Cup: 2000

América Mexican Primera División: Verano 2002 CONCACAF Giants Cup: 2001 Selectivo Pre Pre Libertadores: 2001 Copa Pre Libertadores: 2001

Mexico FIFA Confederation Cup: 1999 Copa América runner-up: 2001; third place: 1997, 1999 CONCACAF Gold Cup: 1996, 1998 Pan American Games Silver Medal: 1995

Individual Copa América 2000th Goal Award: 1997 Copa América Golden Boot: 1997 FIFA World Player of the Year Nomination: 1997 FIFA World XI: 1998 FIFA World Cup Third Top Scorer: 1998 South American Team of the Year: 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup Golden Boot: 1998 IFFHS World's Best Top Goal Scorer third place: 1998 South American Player of the Year Nomination: 1998 RSSSF Player of the Year Nomination: 1998, 1999 Copa América Third Top Scorer: 1999 Lunar New Year Cup Third Top Scorer: 1999 MLS All-Star: 2000, 2001 LA Galaxy All-time Roster FIFA International Football Hall of Fame: 2012 FIFA Legend Maratón de Monterrey: 2023 FIFA Juego de Leyendas: 2024

Records Mexico's all-time leading FIFA World Cup goalscorer