# Luis Hernández (footballer, born 1968)

Luis Arturo Hernández Carreón (born 22 December 1968), commonly known as El Matador, is a Mexican former professional footballer. He is widely regarded as one of Mexico's most talented strikers.
On the international stage, Hernández made 85 appearances and scored 35 goals, making him the fourth all-time leading scorer for the national team. He represented Mexico at the FIFA World Cup in 1998 and 2002.
Along with Javier Hernández, he is Mexico's all-time leading FIFA World Cup goalscorer.

## Club career

In Mexico, Hernández played with a number of clubs, including Querétaro F.C., Cruz Azul, C.F. Monterrey, Club Necaxa, Club América, Tigres UANL, C.D. Veracruz, and Chiapas, and was twice named Mexico's Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998. He also played in Mérida Argentina, when he was signed by South American club Boca Juniors after his brilliant performance in the 1997 Copa América, but he failed to break into the starting line-up and spent the rest of his time on the bench. Returning to Mexico bitterly disappointed, he played with Necaxa and later on with Tigres UANL. It was with these two clubs, that he displayed his stupendous form, scoring 9 goals in 12 matches with Necaxa and 38 goals in 64 games with Tigres. He also became the only player to score goals in the Clásico Regiomontano with both teams from Monterrey.
After a few seasons with Tigres without qualifying to playoffs, Hernández ventured into the United States, in 2000 and signed with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy. Hernández registered 15 goals in 40 games in the regular season and playoffs for the Galaxy. Hernández returned to Mexico in 2002 to play three more seasons with several clubs, including Club América, C.D. Veracruz, Chiapas F.C., and Lobos BUAP before retiring in 2005.

## International career

Known for his long blonde hair, number 15 jersey and nickname of El Matador, Hernández had his first international cap against Uruguay on February 1, 1995. Hernández scored his first international goal on November 16, 1995, against Yugoslavia. Hernández gained notability during the 1997 Copa América, where he scored six goals and became the tournament's leading goal scorer. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he finished among the competition's top scorers with four goals, and became the first Mexican player to score more than two goals in World Cup history. The 35 goals he scored for Mexico makes him trail Cuauhtémoc Blanco (38 goals), Jared Borgetti (46 goals) and Javier Hernandez (52 goals) as the nation's fourth highest all-time leading goalscorer.
Hernández also played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, albeit as a substitute in three games, and failed to score. He made his last international cap on June 17, 2002, against the United States.

## Career statistics
### Club

| Club performance | Club performance | Club performance | League | League |
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals |
| Mexico | Mexico | Mexico | League | League |
| 1990–91 | Cruz Azul | Primera División | 18 | 1 |
| 1991–92 | Querétaro | Primera División | 28 | 11 |
| 1992–93 | Monterrey | Primera División | 26 | 6 |
| 1993–94 | Monterrey | Primera División | 32 | 8 |
| 1994–95 | Necaxa | Primera División | 30 | 8 |
| 1995–96 | Necaxa | Primera División | 31 | 10 |
| 1996–97 | Necaxa | Primera División | 39 | 14 |
| Argentina | Argentina | Argentina | League | League |
| 1997–98 | Boca Juniors | Primera División | 4 | 2 |
| Mexico | Mexico | Mexico | League | League |
| 1997–98 | Necaxa | Primera División | 12 | 9 |
| 1998–99 | Tigres UANL | Primera División | 33 | 19 |
| 1999–2000 | Tigres UANL | Primera División | 31 | 19 |
| United States | United States | United States | League | League |
| 2000 | LA Galaxy | Major League Soccer | 16 | 5 |
| 2001 | LA Galaxy | Major League Soccer | 14 | 8 |
| Mexico | Mexico | Mexico | League | League |
| 2001–02 | América | Primera División | 14 | 2 |
| 2002–03 | América | Primera División | 2 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | Veracruz | Primera División | 18 | 5 |
| 2003–04 | Chiapas | Primera División | 5 | 1 |
| 2004–05 | BUAP | Primera División A | 9 | 4 |
| Country | Mexico | Mexico | 328 | 117 |
| Country | Argentina | Argentina | 4 | 2 |
| Country | United States | United States | 30 | 13 |
| Total | Total | Total | 362 | 132 |

### International

Mexico :
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1995 | 5 | 2 |
| 1996 | 6 | 0 |
| 1997 | 21 | 10 |
| 1998 | 16 | 14 |
| 1999 | 18 | 6 |
| 2000 | 9 | 2 |
| 2001 | 4 | 1 |
| 2002 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 85 | 35 |
    Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hernández goal.
List of international goals scored by Luis Hernández :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 15 November 1995 | Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey, Mexico | Yugoslavia | 1–2 | 1–4 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 December 1995 | Estadio Héroe de Nacozari, Hermosillo, Mexico | Slovenia | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 17 January 1997 | Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States | Denmark | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 13 April 1997 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico | Jamaica | 6–0 | 6–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 20 April 1997 | Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, United States | United States | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 13 June 1997 | Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia | Colombia | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1997 Copa America |
| 7 | 13 June 1997 | Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia | Colombia | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1997 Copa America |
| 8 | 16 June 1997 | Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia | Brazil | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1997 Copa America |
| 9 | 16 June 1997 | Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia | Brazil | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1997 Copa America |
| 10 | 19 June 1997 | Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia | Costa Rica | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1997 Copa America |
| 11 | 28 June 1997 | Estadio Jesús Bermúdez, Oruro, Bolivia | Peru | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1997 Copa America |
| 12 | 12 December 1997 | King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Australia | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 13 | 4 February 1998 | Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, United States | Trinidad and Tobago | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 14 | 4 February 1998 | Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, United States | Trinidad and Tobago | 4–2 | 4–2 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 15 | 12 February 1998 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States | Jamaica | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 16 | 15 February 1998 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States | United States | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 17 | 15 April 1998 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States | Peru | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 18 | 9 May 1998 | Montecatini Terme, Italy | Estonia | 2–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 19 | 9 May 1998 | Montecatini Terme, Italy | Estonia | 4–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 20 | 9 May 1998 | Montecatini Terme, Italy | Estonia | 6–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 21 | 13 June 1998 | Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France | South Korea | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| 22 | 13 June 1998 | Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France | South Korea | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| 23 | 25 June 1998 | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne, France | Netherlands | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| 24 | 29 June 1998 | Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France | Germany | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| 25 | 17 November 1998 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States | El Salvador | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 26 | 18 November 1998 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States | Guatemala | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 27 | 19 February 1999 | Hong Kong Stadium, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong | Egypt | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 28 | 9 June 1999 | Soldier Field, Chicago, United States | Argentina | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 29 | 16 June 1999 | Dongdaemun Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | Croatia | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 30 | 30 June 1999 | Estadio Antonio Aranda, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay | Chile | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1999 Copa America |
| 31 | 10 July 1999 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay | Peru | 1–2 | 3–3 | 1999 Copa America |
| 32 | 10 July 1999 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay | Peru | 2–2 | 3–3 | 1999 Copa America |
| 33 | 9 January 2000 | Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, United States | Iran | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 34 | 13 February 2000 | San Diego Stadium, San Diego, United States | Trinidad and Tobago | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 35 | 31 January 2001 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States | Colombia | 2–0 | 2–3 | Friendly |

## Honours

Monterrey
* CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup: 1993
Necaxa
* Mexican Primera División: 1994–95, 1995–96
* Copa México: 1994–95
* Campeón de Campeones: 1995
* CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup: 1994
LA Galaxy
* Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: 2001
América
* Mexican Primera División: Verano 2002
Mexico
* FIFA Confederation Cup: 1999
* CONCACAF Gold Cup: 1996, 1998
Individual
* Copa América top scorer: 1997
* CONCACAF Gold Cup Golden Boot: 1998
* MLS All-Star: 2000, 2001