Javier ‘Chicharito‘ Hernández defended this Tuesday his compatriot Saul ‘Canelo‘ Álvarez, who lost on Saturday to Dmitry Bivol for the light heavyweight title of the World Boxing Association, and also argued that Mexico should have a more positive look towards its sports stars.
“With ‘Canelo’, if you look at it, it’s even incredible and admirable that he only had his second defeat in I don’t know how many years. And now all the people want to crucify him… ”, he told the media after an LA Galaxy event on mental health, sports and youth.
‘Canelo’ was the first who wanted to win, just as ‘Checo’ Pérez was the first who wanted to be on the podium (at the Miami Grand Prix) and even win the race,” said Chicharito, who also opted to “change the narrative” in Mexico regarding sport to “admire” the athletes, thank them for “their effort” and also look for “deeper and more positive messages”.
In a similar sense, Chicharito assured that “a victory or a defeat does not define the extraordinary human being and the cool athlete.”
“Sometimes we just like to rate human beings and everyone: if you win, you’re worth it; And if you lose, you’re no longer worth it. I have never been in favor of it,” she added.
Chicharito participated this Tuesday in an LA Galaxy event in which he spoke with adolescents about mental health, an issue that the striker has addressed in recent years with great frankness, explaining his anxiety and depression problems.
The forward shared his experiences with the players of the LA Galaxy Academy and with the players of the Cal State Dominguez women’s soccer team.
“This is something very beautiful. For me it is something very gratifying to be able to tell things about my life and make myself as vulnerable as possible (…). I only share what I have lived, what I live and what I would like to live too”, she said.
“The truth is that I am very happy that a club like the LA Galaxy, with all the importance it is in this country and in this sport, dares to hold these conversations,” he added.
In that round table with doctor Armando ‘Mondo’ González, Chicharito spoke about self-care, about how he dealt with anxiety and depression, and, ultimately, about how important it is that athletes not only attend to their physical health but also to your mental health.
With information from EFE