Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Mexico's unlikely hero
Cuauhtémoc Blanco's career was anything but smooth and that was the joy of him as a player. Nowadays, a lot of players have to maintain the perfect look, the perfect attitude, and be the perfect athletes, but Blanco was the entire opposite, doing things his way, and always pulling off moments of absolute brilliance out of thin air.
Cuauhtémoc Blanco
The 90s - coming up as greatly appreciated player
If there is a club Cuauhtémoc Blanco is mostly associated with, that is Club América, which is often viewed as the biggest club in Mexico. Blanco made his professional debut with América at 19 years old and he quickly became one of the club's main attacking midfielders, showing a true display of his quality. He was a great favourite among the fans with a knack for scoring amazing goals and showing really noticeable technical skill.He did win the 1992 CONCACAF Champions' Cup with the club, but even though Cuau excelled at América and became one of the best players in the country, he didn't win any other trophies in the 90s. When comparing the great start América had back in the 2022 season, there were some comparisons to the side he was a part of 1994/95, coached by the legendary Dutch manager Leo Beenhakker, and this is what Blanco had to say about it:
"I had mentioned it to (Germán) Villa the other day, 'you know what, bastard?' They are going to compare us for the Kalusha team, from Biyik'... I liked where I played better, not because I was there, you saw a more solid team, all the time, when they applied themselves at any time with the Africans they could score a goal, but América, today, is the same, but you saw Kalusha, Biyik, myself and Zague sending him crosses and playing incredible and right now América is playing very well, but that's what he had told Villa, I already knew that the reporters were going to ask which América do you like more, which one is cooler, this one or Beenhakker's , but everything in its time."
Near the tail end of the decade and after having enjoyed a somewhat successful first World Cup with Mexico in the 1998 edition in France, Blanco was loaned to Necaxa where he quickly became a fan-favorite and scored a total of 11 goals in 18 matches across all competitions in two seasons for "Los Rayos". While is true that he remained there for a short period of time, he left a lasting legacy and is beloved by Necaxa fans as well.
The 2000s - guest appearances in La Liga
Blanco came back to Club América in 1999 after his loan spell with Necaxa ended and arguably had the best period of his career, at least in terms of output. He scored a total of 40 goals in 45 games across all competitions in just two years, which showed that he had become a too good player for the Mexican league at that point.He was given the chance of going on loan to Real Valladolid in Spain's La Liga and it seemed like a perfect match, He was 27 years of age, and he was ready to prove to the world what he was made of. But sadly, it didn't become the success story it could have been.
Cuau struggled greatly during his two seasons at Valladolid, failing to score regularly, and having a massive injury in his first season, which kept him out for most of the season. And while his second season saw him playing more (20 games), the truth of the matter is that he didn't excel on the pitch. He did score, however, a phenomenal free kick goal against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, which is talked about even to this very day.
After that failed stint in Spain, Blanco came back to Club América in 2002 and, barring a successful loan with Veracruz in 2005, he remained there until 2007. This proved to be a much more successful spell for him in terms of titles, as he got to win the 2005 Clausura and the 2006 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. He also won the award as the league's Most Valuable Player award three years in a row.
In 2007, Blanco was offered the chance of becoming Chicago Fire's Designated Player in the Major League Soccer, which meant that the club had to break the league's salary cap record to sign him. During his three seasons there, he led Chicago Fire to three semi-finals in the MLS, often gaining individual awards and having very good performances, which is why he is a very appreciated player even to this day over there.
The 2010s - the last part of the career
Mexico national head coach Javier Aguirre called him up to the national team for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, a major milestone for the player at that point in his career. But once Blanco left Chicago Fire, the rest of his career was that of a nomad. He rarely stayed for more than a year at a club, mostly playing in the lower divisions of Mexican football.He eventually decided to call it quits in 2016, leaving a great career behind and amassing a lot of success and recognition in his home country. Blanco participated in three World Cups (1998, 2002, and 2010), scored 38 goals in 119 matches for Mexico, and managed to achieve a lot of success while getting involved in tons of controversies, which was something that a lot of fans in Mexico loved about him. After his career he became a politician, something he still is doing to this day.
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