Biography

On 1 September 2014 Hull City parted with ten million euros, at the time a record fee paid, for the services of Uruguayan international striker Hernandez. His opening goals, fuelled by adrenalin, made an immediate positive impact but as time progressed his form dipped and he was a figure of some fun by the end of his first season. He answered his critics emphatically the following season when his 20 Championship goals were a vital element in City’s ascent to the play-offs and ultimate Wembley victory. Injuries marred Abel’s third season, as did the difficulty of travelling half way around the globe every time he got called up by his country. He started his 2017/18 Championship season in emphatic form, scoring a hattrick in City’s first home game, but a few days later suffered a serious Achilles injury. When he returned in March 2018 the club was mired in a relegation fight, but Hernandez immediately contributed further goals to assist the City cause. That summer City stayed in the Championship and Abel left the club on expiry of his contract.
Born in Uruguayan city Pando, a suburb of capital city Montevideo, Abel Mathias Hernandez Platero spent his formative years at Central Espanol before joining Penarol as an 18 year old. After scoring three goals in just 8 appearances for Penarol he moved to Italy in February 2009 and signed for Sicilian side Palermo. After making his debut against Lecce in March 2009 and ending his first part-season with six appearances, he became a regular first team presence after notching his first goal for Palermo in an October 2009 defeat to Inter Milan. A cruciate ligament injury suffered in October 2012 kept him out of the side for six months but by the end of the 2013/14 season he was fully recovered and had taken his Palermo tally to 36 goals in 122 appearances – the 14 goals he struck during the 2013/14 season attracted the attention of the newly promoted Tigers.
In July 2018 Hernandez signed for Russian side CSKA Moscow on a long term deal following a few days of horse trading about wage demands after a failed medical. However his time in Moscow was ravaged by injury and a single season yielded three goals in 15 appearances. In the summer of 2019 he swapped the cold of Moscow for the blazing sun of Qatar, joining Qatar Stars League side Al Ahli. Abel netted seven times in 16 appearances for Al Ahli, then in August 2020 he headed a little closer to home when he signed for Brazilian Serie A side Internacional. He scored six goals in 31 appearances for the Porto Alegre side before switching to League rivals Fluminese in April 2021. Abel scored seven goals in 36 appearances in eight months at the Maracana then in January 2022 he packed his bags once more and joined Mexican Liga MX side Atletico San Luis. After 3 goals in 18 appearances for San Luis he returned to Uruguay in December 2022, re-signing for his first senior club Penarol. The move back to Uruguay suited Abel who scored 12 goals in 26 appearances for Penarol during the remainder of the 2023 season as his Montevideo side ended the season runners-up in the Primera Division Play-Offs. He left Penarol in January 2024 and within weeks had joined Argentina Primera Division side CA Rosario Central. He made 5 appearances during March 2024 before he was sidelined by a hamstring injury – he left Rosario in July 2024 and after a two month break he joined Uruguayan Primera League rivals Liverpool FC Montevideo in September 2024, making his debut in October 2024 against CA Fenix and scoring two goals in 5 appearances to complete the 2024 season.
Hernandez was a decorated international for Uruguay – between 2008 and 2010 he scored nine goals in 11 appearances for the Under-20 side and he made his senior debut in August 2010 against Angola. He became an established part of the Uruguayan international squad for seven years, often sitting on the bench as he was kept out of the first XI by the extravagant skills of his counterpart Luis Suarez. Abel did score an international hattrick, contributing four of the eight goals Uruguay rattled past Tahiti in a 2013 Confederations Cup tie. His final cap came in March 2017, his tally of 29 caps yielding 11 goals – he also played three times for his country and scored once in the 2012 London Olympics football tournament.
Details
Nationality: Uruguay
Date/Place of Birth: 8 August 1990, Pando (Uruguay)
Hull City First Game: 15 September 2014, West Ham United H (Premier League), 24 years, 38 days old
Hull City Final Game: 21 April 2018, Bristol City A (Championship), 27 years, 256 days old
Clubs
Central Espanol (2006-2008), Penarol (2008-2009), Palermo (2009-2014), Hull City (2014-2018), CSKA Moscow (2018-2019), Al Ahli (2019-2020), Internacional (2020-2021), Fluminese (2021-2022), Atletico San Luis (2022), Penarol (2022-2024), CA Rosario Central (2024), Liverpool FC Montevideo (2024-current)
Hull City Record
Career: 110 apps, 39 goals
Abel HernandezSeason | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014/15 | 15 (10) | 4 | 0 (1) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
2015/16 | 34 (5) | 20 | - | - | 1 (2) | 1 | - | - | 3 (0) | 1 |
2016/17 | 16 (8) | 4 | 1 (1) | 1 | 1 (2) | 0 | - | - | - | - |
2017/18 | 8 (2) | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |