Cuauhtémoc Blanco Profile

Cuauhtémoc Blanco - Career

Cuauhtémoc Blanco is a former Mexican professional footballer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Mexican football history. Blanco's playing career spanned over two decades, during which he played for several top clubs in Mexico, as well as for the Mexican national team.

Blanco began his professional career in 1992 with Club América, one of the most successful clubs in Mexican football history. He quickly established himself as a talented attacking midfielder, known for his technical ability, his creativity, and his ability to score goals. He helped Club América to win several titles, including the Mexican league championship in 1994 and 2002, as well as the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1993 and 2006.

In 1997, Blanco was signed by Spanish club Valladolid, but he struggled to adapt to the European game and returned to Club América after just one season. He continued to play for Club América until 2004, when he was signed by Mexican rivals Necaxa. Blanco spent just one season with Necaxa before moving on to Santos Laguna, where he played for two seasons.

In 2007, Blanco was signed by Chicago Fire, becoming one of the first high-profile Mexican players to play in Major League Soccer (MLS). He quickly established himself as a fan favorite at Chicago Fire, thanks to his exceptional skill and his ability to score goals. He helped the club to reach the playoffs in his first season, and was named to the MLS Best XI in 2007.

After leaving Chicago Fire in 2009, Blanco returned to Mexico to play for Veracruz, Puebla, and Dorados de Sinaloa, before retiring from professional football in 2016. He also represented the Mexican national team on 120 occasions, scoring 39 goals. Blanco was a key player for Mexico during his playing career, helping the team to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup on two occasions, as well as reaching the round of 16 at the 2002 and 2010 World Cup tournaments.

Cuauhtémoc Blanco - Career in Brief

Cuauhtémoc Blanco - Playing Style

With his fiery temperament, passion, and even his skilful playing style, Blanco always reminded us a bit of a Mexican Paolo Di Canio. Both were certainly a handful to play against, and whilst neither were everyone's cup of tea, no-one could argue that they weren't highly talented.

A legend of Club América, Blanco was with Las Águilas from the youth team in 1988 through to 2007 when he left for the MLS and Chicago Fire. With 153 goals he is still the second highest scorer in Club América's history. Cuauhtémoc Blanco's skill, passing, work-rate, and goalscoring ability meant that he could play in most attacking positions, often being switched between attacker and winger. He would also frequently play as an attacking midfielder.

Blanco had a fantastic international career with Mexico and became the first Mexican to score at three World Cup tournaments after bagging goals in the 1998, 2002 and 2010 tournaments. He had a reputation for scoring important goals and always performing well at international tournaments, be it the World Cup, Gold Cup, Copa America or Confederations Cup. He finished his career as the second highest Mexican goalscorer with 38 goals, not far off Jared Borgetti's record of 46, although Javier Hernández has subsequently surpassed them both.

Despite all these goals and records, Blanco is probably best remembered around the world for his trademark skill that he showcased at the World Cup finals - the Cuauhtemiña. Faced with two or more opposition players, Blanco traps the ball between both of his feet and then jumps between the other players, releasing the ball in mid-air and then running off with the ball.

Cuauhtémoc Blanco - Honours

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