This image isn’t that old, but it might as well be a cracked, sepia-toned heirloom. It evokes long journeys, big dreams, coming of age, globetrotting careers in pursuit of a place among the global elite. Born less than a year apart, they crisscrossed the Old Continent from club to club, searching for fulfillment, often logging thousands of extra air miles to represent their country with El Tri, before pulling up stakes for new adventures on center stage in Los Angeles.
El Trafico, a rivalry birthed on the unforgettable occasion of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Galaxy debut and the heroics he produced to lead his club to that stunning comeback victory at Dignity Health Sports Park four years ago, rarely lacks for hype. Being graced at last by two of the greatest Mexican players of their generation also adds a deeply personal element to Saturday’s rendition, though.
“I mean, I grew up with him,” Chicharito told Jillian Sakovits and Susannah Collins on The Call Up this week, revealing that he and Vela had “a very good conversation on the phone last week about our lives, to catch up a little bit” as they prepare to compete. “Regardless of the rivalry and the Trafico and what it means for him and for myself, obviously, to face for the first time each other in this league since I came, because of COVID and all my injuries and he was injured as well. So, finally — it’s going to be a very, very special moment, even, for me, because I love him so much.
“It’s always special when you play against people that you admire, that you love and you grew up with.”
