Theo Hernández is a curious case in this World Cup. His ownership in the French team came to him due to the misfortune of his brother Lucas, who suffered a serious injury to his right knee in the first game and which made him say goodbye to the tournament.
Source: AFP
Since then, the youngest of the Hernández, 25 years old, one less than Lucas, has not been out of place.
Their goal this wednesday at semifinal victory of the World Cup against Morocco (2-0), in the 5th minute, to open the way for his team to the final on Sunday against Argentina, has made him a place in the history of French football.
Later, in the final part of the match, with the result on track, the second goal for France would come, through Randal Kolo Muani in the 79th minute, a few seconds after having replaced Ousmane Dembélé.
This is how Theo Hernández defined that he put the first to #FRA
enjoy the #WorldWithYou! pic.twitter.com/oNg9JKLGOn
– Tigo Sports (@TigoSportsPY) December 14, 2022
Theo came out, like his brother, from the Atlético Madrid youth systemhaving grown up in the capital of Spain, despite being born in Marseille, after his family settled there after his father, Jean François Hernández, also played for the rojiblanco team and for Rayo Vallecano.
– Atlético Youth Player –
Both left the mattress team to emigrate. Lucas plays for Bayern Munich Y Theo in Milan. The oldest was world champion with France in Russia-2018 and the youngest can emulate him in Qatar-2022 if France beats Argentina in the final.
Actually, the two brothers would be champions in Qatar if they beat the Albiceleste, as both are part of the list of 26 players registered by France in this World Cup.
And it is that Didier Deschanmps decided to include the two brothers to monopolize the position of left back.
Little did Theo, a substitute in the first match of the World Cup against Australia, imagine that he would come into play in the 13th minute to replace his brother Lucas, seriously injured.
In the second game, against Dimamarca, already a starter on the left side, he offered a assistance to Kylian Mbappé so that France took the lead on the scoreboard, in a duel that ended with a 2-1 French victory.
This Wednesday, with an acrobatic shot in minute 5, he put Les Bleus ahead and managed his second goal with the France shirt.
If his brother soon found a place for himself in the French team, Theo’s entry was a long time coming and his debut was against Finland in September 2021 (French victory 2-0).
In his second international match, against Belgium in the semifinals of the League of Nationsalready dressed as a hero, scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute (3-2).
In that game he played with Lucas, being the first time two brothers had started for the French national team since 1932.
– Decisive in League of Nations –
Not happy with the goal in the semifinals, in the final against Spain, participated in the French winning goal (2-1) and the consequent title, with an assist to Kylian Mbappé on the winning goal in the 80th minute.
“We both have this determination to win. Afterwards, he is a much more offensive player than me, who is much more defensive. We are two players who play in the same position, but completely different”, Lucas Hernández had explained in an interview to AFP before the start of the World Cup.
His important goal against Morocco seems to have proved Lucas Hernández right, who will have followed the game and the prominence of his little brother with joy.
“If it’s my brother’s turn to play (in his place) I’d be even happier. Seeing my brother on the pitch… I want to feel that pride of being able to see my brother play a World Cup. I only feel happiness in me, no other feeling”, Lucas had said.
Theo not only played but scored, to the double happiness of the older brother, unable, for his part, to score a goal for France in 33 international matches.
