El Cucho Hernández: Betis' Colombian dynamo hitting new heights
Despite Betis' 5-1 drubbing at the Bernabéu, El Cucho Hernández continues his remarkable scoring form, reaching double figures and proving to be worth every penny.
The Colombian striker might have been fuming after Betis’ 5-1 hammering at the Bernabéu, but El Cucho Hernández continues to be the green-and-whites’ shining light in an otherwise inconsistent season.
Double-digit delight
Hernández notched his 10th goal of the season against Real Madrid, showcasing his clinical finishing after latching onto Ruibal’s through ball, rounding Courtois, and slotting home. That’s eight in La Liga, plus one each in the Europa League and Copa del Rey.
These numbers already double his previous best goalscoring season in Spain’s top flight. The Colombian’s record in La Liga before joining Betis reads like a rather modest shopping list:
- 2018-19 (Huesca): 4 goals in 34 matches
- 2019-20 (Mallorca): 5 goals
- 2020-21 (Getafe): 2 goals
- 2022-23 (Betis - half season): 5 goals
His Watford stint wasn’t much more prolific either, managing just 5 goals in half a season in the Premier League. Only his Championship campaign with Huesca (16 goals in 2017-18) and his MLS years with Columbus Crew (a proper Bobby Dazzler with 24 goals in 2022-23 and 25 in 2023-24) have seen him hit higher numbers.
Worth every penny
The €13 million Betis splashed out to bring El Cucho back to Spanish football is looking like money well spent. With 15 goals and 4 assists in 37 official matches since joining, he’s become Manuel Pellegrini’s main attacking reference point.
What makes Hernández special isn’t just his finishing. The geezer puts in a proper shift all over the park. This season he’s won 81 duels and made 45 ball recoveries in La Liga – numbers that would make many midfielders green with envy.
He’s also among La Liga’s most trigger-happy forwards, firing off 52 shots on target – a tally bettered only by Mbappé (88) and Lamine Yamal (64), while matching Vinícius Júnior.
Physical phenomenon
Betis sporting director Manu Fajardo recently highlighted to MARCA how players like El Cucho have transformed the team’s physical capabilities: “Cucho’s ability to repeat intense efforts” was specifically mentioned alongside the physical prowess of teammates Fornals, Deossa and Natan.
The Colombian is proving to be much more than just a goalscorer – he’s a complete forward who can lead from the front. Now he’ll be hoping the rest of the team can match his standards so that embarrassments like the Bernabéu thrashing become a rare blip rather than a worrying trend.