Guillermo Cantú

Lore & Background

Born in Torreón, Cantú spent the prime of his career at Atlante, where he scored six goals from midfield during the 1992–93 season as the club won the championship. He started regularly for the next two years but saw his playing time diminish due to injuries. He played his final top-division matches with Celaya in 1998 at age 30. He also made two appearances at the 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup, including the final victory over the United States.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at the old ground had barely settled when the crowd's chant swelled. He touched the ball at the edge of the box, felt the grass cold through his sock, and looked up — not at the goal, but at the stands. A thousand faces, a single breath. He turned, drove the ball forward, and for three seconds the whole stadium held its voice. Then the roar came, and it never fully let go. He didn't celebrate. He just wiped his hands on his shorts and jogged back, already thinking about the next phase. That was the deal, the unspoken contract between the player and the people in blue and white: you give them the moment, they give you the eternity.

Reader's Guide

Cantú later worked in Mexican soccer administration, serving as director of national selections for the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación from 2004 to 2009, and as president of Santos Laguna and Chiapas (the latter from 2010 to 2012).

Did You Know?

• Cantú made two appearances at the 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup, including an 8–0 win over Canada and the 4–0 final victory over the United States.
• He was unable to make the squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup despite participating in the Gold Cup success.
• He resigned as director of national selections in 2009 after Mexico failed to qualify for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.