“Am I really the best in Europe in position? I don't know, I just know that I work day after day to be the best left-back in the world …”, said Theo Hernández (23 years old) days ago. But, if there is one thing for sure, it is that the ex-Madridista has been in orbit for a long time and has found his highway to success in Milan. His rides down the left lane have become a hallmark of the renaissance rossonero and these have led him to star in a stunning rise in the scale of values. At least, as far as Transfermarkt it means.
In a year and a half, Theo has gone from 15 to 45 million euros. It has tripled. Not bad for a player who came as a robbery from Madrid to Atleti and left the Bernabéu through the back door. The attempt to recover the incisive and powerful Theo of Alavés, the one that made the whites pay the 28 + 2 million euros, with an assignment to the Royal Society came out frog. In San Sebastián he enjoyed minutes, started 22 of the 38 league matches, but his background did not go beyond a goal and two assists. But beyond the numbers, it was the sensations. That made him not recover the lost value, since he arrived at Paseo de la Castellana valued at 20 and dropped to the 15 that he maintained during the end of 2017-18 and all of 2018-19, already as txuri-urdin.
One step back…
A traffic jam that lasted until AC Milan knocked on his door. The rossoneriImmersed in an eternal process to recover the past shine, they made a strong commitment to a player who needed to be reborn as much as the team. 20 million euros made him change the Bernabéu for San Siro and there began his ascent. If his signing was closed in July, in October he had already managed to reach 18 million in Transfermarkt. An ankle problem caused him to miss the first two games, but as soon as he regained his physical tone, he never looked back.
Undisputed headline, Theo began to give away performances consistently, being one of the most positive notes of a little brilliant Milan, until the arrival of Stefano Pioli transformed everything. The team began its climb to success. When the coach took the bench, they were in tenth place in Serie A. At the end of the season they were sixth. Return to Europe. And this year they lead the Italian championship, thanks, among other things, to the seven goals that their left back has generated (4 goals and 3 assists), without forgetting many other ingredients that Ibrahimovic leads. Numbers complemented by two more definitive passes, which place him as one of the most prolific defenders in the opponent's area.
… two ahead
This 2020-21 is only confirming what was slipped last season, which ended with 7 goals and 5 assists. If he maintains the average, he will far exceed what he achieved the previous year and will finally be called up by Didier Deschamps. In December 2019 it was already 'worth' 25 million euros. In March it went up to 40.
The pandemic, which greatly affected the consideration of the players, made him lose economic potential (€ 32 M), but his fantastic performance has taken him to 45 today. The value was last updated in August. Now, his level has gone up another notch, so everything indicates that he will continue his ascent. Sometimes, you have to take a step back, as can be considered his departure from Real Madrid, to take two forward. And that's what our protagonist did when he signed for Milan.