Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is not afraid to answer the tough questions.
In a wide-ranging interview with Herculez Gomez and Mauricio Pedroza on the ESPN Deportes show Ahora o Nunca (watch the clip in Spanish below), they put him on the spot: Is Carlos Vela the most talented player you’ve ever played with?
That's Carlos Vela, the captain of Chicharito's new El Trafico rival LAFC.
"Without any doubt – Vela. With all due respect to Cuauhtemoc [Blanco]," Chicharito said in answer to the question.
"There was an interview I did at West Ham about the five best Mexican players of all-time (watch clip below). And I had Vela as the 5th [top of the list]. Not for his career, which could be successful or not for what he did, but for the talent he has. Without a doubt. I’ve seen him since he was 15 and it's so. I can confirm it, yes. It’s easy."
The hosts pressed Hernandez: How could he claim that Vela was better than Mexican soccer idol and ex-Chicago Fire star Cuauhtemoc Blanco?
"You’re talking to me as someone who has played with both," Hernandez continued. "I also watched Cuau on TV. We’re not comparing what Cuau did on the national team to what Vela did on the national team. I’m talking about talent. [Vela] runs a thousand circles around everyone else in the history of Mexican soccer."
