Carlos Hernandez Valverde is a talented football player who, like fellow countrymen Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell, has found great success and acclaim abroad. Hernandez has been playing in the Australian A-League, with the Melbourne Victory Football Club, since 2007. Now that his contract is up for negotiation, Australian fans are following his every move.

According to sports media site Tribal Football, Carlos was spotted at a game with the Brimbank Stallions last week, just a couple of days before the Victory matched up against arch-rivals Perth Glory. The Brimbank Stallions are not in the A-League, they are rather a local team that has contributed four players to the youth division of the A-League.

Wild speculation among Victory fans ensued after they learned of Carlos visit to the Stallions. Carlos had to log in to a Facebook forum and explain that he was at the Stallions’ game to promote their games in the spirit of sportsmanship, not to play with them. The Stallions’ coach even had to contact the Victory coach to assure him that Carlos was not planning to play with any lower division team.

Melbourne Victory fans are watching Carlos’ every move due to the contract negotiations. They don’t want to lose their star player, who has scored 37 times since he arrived in the team through a loan agreement with Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA). Hernandez left for Australia after an injury he sustained at LDA kept him benched for an entire season. He was still carrying some weight from his convalescence when he surprised Victory fans by scoring his first goal on his second appearance.

After his first season with the Victory, Carlos became a regular scorer. Even though he is a play maker, he enjoys going on the offensive and taking chances. During the current season, he has scored more times than he has assisted.

According to Goal.com, the Melbourne Victory will do everything in the team’s power to keep the Guanacaste-born player in their roster.