ONE would be quickly forgiven for assuming that baby-faced Javier Hernandez is an angel after a cursory look.

But beneath the façade is a cold, deadly assassin on the football pitch. No wonder he’s the current poster boy of Mexican football. His international career stats speak volumes for the 24-year-old. In fact, his stats make the world’s current best, Lionel Messi of Argentina, pale in comparison.

The son of a Mexican footballer at the 1986 World Cup Finals hosted by Mexico, Chicharito, as he’s popularly called, has 24 goals in 33 internationals for Mexico, while Messi has netted 31 after 76 international caps.

Hernandez, who missed his nation’s 2005 Under-17 World Cup triumph in Peru, through injury, joined Manchester United three seasons ago from Chivas de Guadalajara for a transfer fee of ¤ 7.5 million, netting 20 goals in 45 appearances in his first season.

Had a poor second season, which was aided by injuries, but rebounded this season and has so far registered 14 goals in all competitions, as he continues to push top striker Robin van Persie, and England’s pair of Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck for a starting spot.

His Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson blocked a move for the 175 cm, 62 kg player to represent Mexico at last summer’s London Olympics, insisting that the man known as the ‘Little Pea’ needed rest in the off season in order to recover from previous seasons of non-stop football.

Ferguson had this to say about him earlier in the season. “He’s a fantastic professional, unbelievable attitude to the game, never stops running or working and every training session’s the same, so I’m really pleased for him.”

Apart from his intelligence in and around the penalty box, Chicharito is dogged, he fights and scraps for every ball, he’s physically strong, leaps very well, fast in open spaces, shoots with both feet and likes to ghost in between and behind defenders.

In fact, he makes his living playing on the shoulders of defenders, though often times being caught in the offside position. But whenever the defenders slip, he is ready to walk through on the exposed goalkeepers.

He is what is popularly referred to as a poacher, or a pure natural finisher, because he has that uncanny knack of getting into extremely good positions to apply simple finishes.

Hernandez came to prominence at the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa where he came off the bench to score against France and Argentina. He’s reported to have a current market value of £19.5 million, according to the transfer market.

The Goal.com player rating has the following:

Club loyalty – 5.5; Diving – 6.0; Durability – 7.0; Heading – 8.0;

Shooting – 7.5; Work rate – 6.0; Creativity – 7.5; Dribbling/Ball control – 6.0; Fear factor – 7.5; Killer instinct – 6.5; Speed – 7.0.