Javier Hernández Balcázar (Spanish: [xaˈβjeɾ eɾˈnandes βalˈkasaɾ] ^ⓘ; born 1 June 1988), commonly known by the nickname Chicharito ([tʃitʃaˈɾito], Mexican Spanish: little pea), is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a striker for Liga MX club Guadalajara. He is known for his clinical finishing, pace, and technical ability. He is widely considered among the greatest Mexican players of all time.

Hernández began his senior club career at age 18 in 2006, playing for Guadalajara, where he won the Primera División. In 2010, Hernández signed for Manchester United, becoming the club's first Mexican player. During his five years with United, he amassed over 150 appearances. He scored 59 goals, winning two Premier League titles, the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year in his first season, and reached the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final, as well as setting the then record for the fifth-best minutes-per-goal ratio (130.2) in league history. Hernández departed the club on loan to Real Madrid in 2014, winning the FIFA Club World Cup, and in 2015 he joined Bayer Leverkusen on a permanent deal. Hernández returned to England two years later and signed for West Ham United. In 2019, he signed for Sevilla before joining LA Galaxy the following year. In 2024, Hernández rejoined his boyhood club Guadalajara.

A Mexican international, Hernández is the country's all-time leading goalscorer. He debuted for the national team in September 2009 in a friendly match against Colombia. He has represented Mexico at the 2010, 2014, and 2018 FIFA World Cups, the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the 2013 and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cups, and the Copa América Centenario. He was the 2011 Gold Cup's top scorer with seven goals and was named the tournament's most valuable player.

Hernández is commonly known by the nickname Chicharito, translated from Spanish as “little pea”, a diminutive of his father’s nickname Chícharo. He is also referred to as CH14, reflecting his initials and shirt number. In December 2023, while streaming on Twitch, he adopted the nickname ChichaGod (or ChichaDios in Spanish).

Hernández is active as a gamer and social commentator on YouTuber and Twitch. As a streamer, under the username “CH14”, he has amassed over 623,000 followers on YouTube and 977,000 followers on Twitch as of November 2025.

Hernández was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and his love for football was evident from a young age. He first played in a recreation league when he was seven. Hernández lived in Morelia, Michoacán for over four years while his father, footballer Javier "Chícharo" Hernández, played for Monarcas Morelia. While living in Morelia, Hernández attended elementary school at the Instituto Piaget where he studied from third to sixth grade and played for the school's football team.

At the age of nine, Hernández joined C.D. Guadalajara and signed his first professional contract when he was 15. He was set to play in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, a significant event in youth football, but an injury sidelined him from the team that ultimately won the championship. Whilst playing football professionally, Hernández was also taking business administration classes at Universidad del Valle de Atemajac. Hernández has held both Hugo Sánchez and Rafael Márquez as his football idols growing up.

Hernández began playing with C.D. Guadalajara's lower-division team, Chivas Coras in Tepic, Nayarit in the 2005–06 season. On 9 September 2006, he made his debut for Guadalajara in that year's Apertura in a win over Club Necaxa at Estadio Jalisco. With the score at 3–0, under manager José Manuel de la Torre, Hernández came on as a substitute for Omar Bravo in the 82nd minute, before scoring the fourth goal of the game five minutes later. It was his only goal in five appearances in 2006 as Guadalajara went on to win the league title. He made two appearances in the 2007 Clausura with no goals. He made six more appearances in 2007–08 without scoring.