The Rossoneri had no intention to spoil the mood during Christmas like Juventus and thus, maintained their unbeaten record in the Italian Serie A with a dramatic late-winner against a very good Lazio side.
AC Milan wasted little time in getting onto the front foot - racing into a two-goal lead inside 17 minutes courtesy of Ante Rebic's header and Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty.
Luis Alberto and Ciro Immobile – who had a spot-kick saved prior to the Spaniard's goal – restored parity by finding the net on either side of the interval, but Hernandez powered home from a corner in the 92nd minute to dramatically seal the three points for the Rossoneri.
They were pushed all the way by a tough Lazio outfit, but Milan prevailed to register a 10th win in 14 Serie A games this season and reclaim their place at the summit from Inter.
Another two-goal haul, meanwhile, made them only the second team in the history of the top five European leagues to score more than once in 16 consecutive games in a single calendar year, with Barcelona managing 18 in 1948.
It was a nail-biter at the San Siro and after the match, Milan Coach Stefano Pioli and the layers celebrated wildly and the smile at the San Siro is back after a long time. The Rossoneri are coming back to the top level of European Football and it means a lot for the fans in Milan and outside Italy.
When Hernandez flew in the air like a Fighter Jet and headed home Calhanoglu's corner to spark delirium on the Milan bench; one thought arose in the minds of the critics and which is, the Frenchman is not the most unwanted player anymore, but he has established himself one of the pillars of AC Milan’s current purple patch.
Born in Marseille, Hernandez joined Atletico Madrid's academy in 2007, aged nine.
After progressing through the youth categories, he was promoted to the reserves in Tercera Division in the summer of 2015.
In 2016, Hernandez renewed his contract.
Two days later, he was called up to the first team for a La Liga match against Eibar due to injuries but remained an unused substitute in the 3–1 home win.
Hernandez extended his contract until 2021 on August 16, 2016, but was immediately loaned to fellow league club Deportivo Alaves for one year.
A regular starter during the Basque team's run in the Copa del Rey, Hernandez helped them reach the final for the first time in their 91-year history. During the match, he scored the equalizer through a direct free kick in an eventual 1–3 loss against Barcelona.
On July 5, 2017, Hernandez signed a six-year deal with Real Madrid after they met his release clause of €24 million.
He made his competitive debut in August, replacing Marco Asensio in a 2–0 home win against Barcelona for that year's Supercopa de Espana.
Hernandez made three appearances during the 2017–18 edition of the UEFA Champions League, but in Real Madrid, it was tough for him to achieve enough playing time because Marcelo was still in his prime and was linking-up extremely well with Cristiano Ronaldo to bore fruits.
He was loaned to Real Sociedad the following season.
The former France U-20 international had only appeared in 23 matches across all competitions when Real Madrid decided to accept a loss on their initial investment,
Needing to raise capital to fund Zinedine Zidane's overhaul of an aging side, Hernandez was sold to Milan for €20million.
The transfer was approved and carried out by Paolo Maldini, who met with him informally in Ibiza to persuade him to join.
In an interview with Onda Cero, he spoke of his time at Real Madrid and his expectations for the future.
“I don’t know if they regret my departure in Madrid. I couldn’t do my best for Real Madrid, as I didn’t have the minutes. Without the minutes, you don’t have confidence. I arrived at a very young age, I have grown up now”, Theo explained.
He was asked if he would ever return to Real Madrid. “Would I go back to Real Madrid? I don’t see myself as ever going back, if it’s my hands, I would stay at Milan forever. I am in the best moment of my career and I am very happy in Milan,” Theo concluded.
When Hernandez joined Milan, they were a team lying at the bottom, but again, it was the club, which provided Hernandez the best of freedoms – his attacking instincts flourished more and more.
The technical director wanted a strong player in one-on-one situations to be included in a system and Hernandez fulfills the criteria very strong against his man, both in the offensive and defensive phases, and now also improved in the back four.
Sometimes he gets caught in a positional sense but he has the speed to make up for it, and now he has become a symbol of Milan’s resurgence.
On average, Hernandez takes 2.78 touches in the opposition penalty area (per 90) – so it's little surprise he's a persistent threat. A prolific dribbler, Hernandez attempts 3.92 take-ons per 90 and, of his Rossoneri team-mates, only midfielder Ismael Bennacer attempts more.
He's blessed with pace and plenty of physicalities to outweigh the opponents. Again, he does have a penchant for the nutmeg, frequently nipping the ball through an opponent's legs to leave them red-faced.
Once in full flight, Hernandez is tough to stop. His powerful gallop means he can cover ground quickly, getting Milan up the field and into dangerous areas.
And, most importantly, he can score those goals like Sergio Ramos, which are valuable for the team.
Hernandez is a blessing for Milan and it seems the best is yet to come.
Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer as CSesk on 24/12/2020 Theo Hernandez: A blessing for AC Milan
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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