As December started in 2014, Javier Hernandez, best known as "Chicharito" was still riding the pine at a historic Real Madrid side. He would eventually get his chance to make a big difference, and he would, but his season would be deemed a failure.

Once the yearlong loan was up, he was returned to Manchester United where more disappointment set in.

Fortunes would change their course at the end of the 2015 summer as the Mexican would find himself shipped out of Manchester yet again; this time his destination was Germany. It was the best move he could have asked for.

As a member of Bayer Leverkusen, Chicharito has finally experienced the success he so longed for and repeatedly saw taken from him at the two larger clubs he worked for. At Manchester United, his career seemed to be off to a promising start before he was pushed down the pecking order. At Real Madrid he never really had a chance to overthrow the established hierarchy and only got a chance to show his worth when injuries set in.

At Leverkusen he was always the main man up front and he has relished that opportunity.

As of the start of December, Chicharito has six goals in 11 Bundesliga matches and a whopping four in just five Champions League tilts. A year ago he only scored seven goals in a Real Madrid shirt in the Spanish League across 23 matches (only seven of which were starts) and pitched in just one goal, albeit a huge goal, in the Champions League for Los Blancos. While that goal in the quarterfinals against Atletico Madrid will go down in history, Chicharito's performances for Leverkusen have all but ensured that the team navigates a tough group that includes Barcelona and Roma.

He is currently on pace for 20 goals this season, a feat he has never accomplished; his career high is 13 goals in 2010-11 for Manchester United and yet that feels a long ways past. He is averaging 2.7 shots per game, a huge increase from his career average of 1.7 and his previous high of two shots per game in the 2012-13 season for Manchester United. The interesting thing about all of this? He is actually scoring at a lower rate than his career average conversion rate of 21 percent; he is currently scoring at a 20 percent conversion rate.

The Champions League numbers are undeniably the most astounding of all with Chicharito averaging 3.8 shots per game, a feat he has never come close to in any domestic or Champions League season. Throw in his increased dribbles per game (0.9 per game versus his career average of 0.3) as well as an increased number of passes per game (17.6 in the Bundesliga against a career average of 13.2) and you have a player that is more involved in the play and thus more confident in his abilities. This is translating into goals in big moments.

All statistics from Whoscored.com.