Cuauhtémoc Blanco

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Lore & Background

Blanco was born in Mexico City, in the district of Tlatilco, but grew up in Tepito. Born to Faustino Blanco and Hortensia Bravo, he was named after the last Aztec emperor Cuauhtémoc, in which the name means 'one who has descended like an eagle'. He started his career with América in 1992, where he won various awards, both team-based and individual, and had various loan stints with Necaxa, Spanish club Real Valladolid, and Veracruz. In 2007, he joined the Chicago Fire, with a loan stint with Santos Laguna for the 2008 Apertura championship. In 2010, he returned to Mexico to trek throughout various teams, joining Veracruz again, Irapuato, Dorados, and Puebla-based teams Lobos BUAP and Puebla, where he retired with the latter in 2015. The following year, he came out of retirement to officially end his career with América.

In Their Own Story

On March 5, 2016, Blanco started a match for Club América wearing a number 100 jersey at the Estadio Azteca. Playing against Morelia, he demonstrated his signature move, the Cuauhtemiña, and took two shots on goal, one hitting the crossbar from outside the penalty box. He played 36 minutes before being replaced by Darwin Quintero in a match América won 4–1.

Reader's Guide

Having played most of his career in América, with 333 appearances and 135 goals, Blanco has become an idol to the club's supporters and an important figure in the history of the team. He made his debut in the Mexican Primera División in 1992 at the age of 19 with América. He won his first Golden Boot with 16 goals in the Winter 1998 season. He was loaned for Winter 1997 and Summer 1998 at Necaxa, scoring 13 goals in 28 appearances. He was later loaned to Real Valladolid of La Liga for the 2000–01 season, but suffered a broken leg while on international duty which kept him out for six months. He returned to Valladolid for another loan spell the following season, but struggled with homesickness and regaining his form. He returned to Mexico and spent the 2004 Apertura season with Veracruz. In May 2005, Blanco won his first club championship as a player, leading Club América to its tenth league title, defeating U.A.G. by an aggregate score of 7–4. In the next three consecutive years between 2005 and 2007, he was awarded the MVP. He scored his final goal during the championship final against Pachuca in 2007. On 2 April 2007, Blanco signed with Chicago Fire. He was voted as a finalist for both the MVP and Newcomer of the Year awards in 2007, and was the 2007 Goal of the Year winner. He was the second-highest paid player in Major League Soccer, after LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham, earning $2.7 million a year. On 24 July 2008, in the All-Stars Game against West Ham United, Blanco won the MVP award. On 19 November 2008, Santos Laguna signed Blanco on a loan to play only for the Apertura 2008 championship. He scored his first goal with Santos on 29 November 2008, a penalty in the second leg of the championship quarter-finals against San Luis. In October 2009, Blanco announced he would not be renewing his contract with Chicago Fire and would instead sign with Veracruz of the Ascenso MX beginning in January 2010. After 6 months with Veracruz he left for Irapuato, leading Irapuato to win the 2011 Clausura. In December 2011, Blanco joined Dorados de Sinaloa of Liga de Ascenso, winning the Copa MX with Dorados during Apertura 2012. He signed for Lobos BUAP for the Apertura 2013 Liga de Ascenso season. After one year with the club, he did not renew his contract. Blanco signed with Puebla for one last season in the Liga MX, winning the Copa MX final against Guadalajara

Did You Know?

• Blanco is named after the last Aztec emperor Cuauhtémoc, meaning 'one who has descended like an eagle'.
• He is the only Mexican to have won Confederations Cup awards, receiving the Silver Ball and Silver Boot in 1999.
• Blanco was the first Mexican to score at three World Cup tournaments (1998, 2002, 2010).
• He holds the record along with Ronaldinho as the highest scoring players in the Confederations Cup with nine goals.
• Blanco made a special appearance for América in 2016 wearing a number 100 jersey to officially end his career.

The Club América Icon

Blanco made his debut with América in 1992 at age 19. He recorded 333 appearances and 135 goals for the team. In the Winter 1998 season, he won his first Golden Boot with 16 goals. In May 2005, he led Club América to its tenth league title by defeating U.A.G. 7–4 on aggregate. He was awarded the MVP award in three consecutive years from 2005 to 2007.

Global Adventures and MLS Impact

In 2007, Blanco joined Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. He earned $2.7 million a year, making him the second-highest paid player after David Beckham. He won the Goal of the Year award in 2007 for a goal against Real Salt Lake and was a finalist for MVP and Newcomer of the Year. On July 24, 2008, he won the MVP award in the MLS All-Stars Game against West Ham United with one assist and one goal.

A Long Road to Retirement

After leaving Chicago Fire, Blanco joined Veracruz in January 2010, then Irapuato, where they won the 2011 Clausura. He later played for Dorados de Sinaloa, winning the Copa MX in Apertura 2012. After being released by Lobos BUAP, he signed with Puebla for one last season. On April 21, 2015, he came off the bench as Puebla won the Copa MX final against Guadalajara.

From Pitch to Politics

Blanco was born in Mexico City's Tlatilco district and raised in Tepito. He served as the mayor of Cuernavaca and Governor of Morelos from 2018 to 2024 under the coalition Juntos Haremos Historia. He currently serves as a member of the Chamber of Deputies.