Theo Hernández is a curious case in the Qatar Cup. The title in the French national team came to him due to the misfortune of his brother Lucas, who suffered a serious injury to his right knee in France’s first game, against Australia, which made him say goodbye to the tournament.
Since then, the youngest of the Hernández family, 25 years old, one less than Lucas, has not been out of tune.
His goal this Wednesday (14th), in the victory in the semifinals against Morocco (2-0), at 5min, opening the way for his selection to reach the final on Sunday (18th) against Argentina, earned him a place in history of French football.
Theo grew up, like his brother, through the youth ranks of Atlético de Madrid, having grown up in the Spanish capital (despite being born in Marseille) after his family settled in Spain. His father, Jean François Hernández, also played for the red and white team.
Both Teo and Lucas left the Madrid team to emigrate. Lucas plays for Bayern Munich and Theo for Milan.
The eldest was world champion with France in Russia-2018, and the youngest can imitate him in Qatar.
Little did Theo, substitute in the first match of the Cup, know that he would enter the game in the 13th minute to replace his brother Lucas, after a serious injury.
In the second game, against Denmark, already starting at left-back, Theo assisted Kylian Mbappé so that France took the lead on the scoreboard, in a duel that ended in a 2-1 victory.
This Wednesday, with an acrobatic kick in the fifth minute, he put Les Bleus (Blues) in front and scored his second goal with France’s shirt.
Play two finals in a row. It’s unbelievable. We did a beautiful job. The final against Argentina will be a great match, we will work hard to win this final. My thoughts are on my brother [Lucas]I hope he’s there
If Lucas did not take long to get a place in the French national team, Theo’s entry took longer. His debut was against Finland, in September last year, in a 2-0 French triumph.
In his second international game, against Belgium, in the semifinals of the League of Nations, he already dressed as a hero, scoring the winning goal by 3-2 in the 45th minute of the second half.
In that match he played alongside Lucas, being the first time that two brothers were in the starting line-up for France since 1932.
Not content with the goal in the semifinals, in the decision against Spain Theo participated in the winning goal by 2-1, with an assist for Mbappé.
“We both have this determination to win. He [Theo] He’s a much more offensive player than I am. We are players who play in the same position, but completely different,” said Lucas Hernández in an interview with AFP before the start of the Qatar Cup.
Theo’s important goal against Morocco proved Lucas completely right, who has never scored a goal for the national team in 33 international games.
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