Cuauhtémoc Blanco
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| Cuauhtémoc Blanco | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo | |
| Date of birth | January 17, 1973 | |
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 91⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Striker, and Attacking midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Chicago Fire | |
| Number | 10 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1992-1997 1997-1998 1998-2000 2000-2002 2002-2004 2004 2005-2007 2007- |
Club América Club Necaxa Club América Real Valladolid Club América Deportivo Veracruz Club América Chicago Fire |
100 (20) 28 (13) 67 (51) 23 (3) 94 (39) 15 (5) 64 (20) 23 (8) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1995- | Mexico | 97 (34) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo (born January 17, 1973 in Mexico City), also known as El Cuauh, is a Mexican international football striker, who currently plays for Chicago Fire in the United States Major League Soccer division. After his contract with the Chicago Fire is up, he will return to Club America.
Blanco is the only Mexican football player with awards in the international FIFA competitions, as he won the Silver Ball and the Golden Shoe awards in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup. He has been awarded the MVP of the Mexican First League Division five times. Although Blanco plays mostly as an Attacking midfielder; he the leading Confederations Cup goalscorers along with Brazilian football player Ronaldinho. Blanco is also the second Mexican top scorer in both the FIFA World Cup and the Copa Libertadores tournaments; and the fourth top scorer of the Mexican national football team of all time, one goal behind Carlos Hermosillo and Luis Hernández. He is also the second top scorer of the Mexican team, Club América.
He is also known for his theatrical goal celebrations and unique football technique known as the "Blanco Bounce", which is the official name given by FIFA administrators. IN Mexico it is known as the "Cuauhtemiña".
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Mexican First League Division
Blanco made his debut in the Primera División de México (Mexican First League Division) in 1992 at the age of 19 with Club América. In 1997, Blanco was recruited to play with Club Necaxa, in 1998 he was awarded the MVP, and returned two years later to play for Club América. In 2000, Blanco was transferred to Real Valladolid in Spain where he played for two years in the La Liga (The Spanish League) where he scored one of his most famous goals in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium against Real Madrid. Blanco returned to Club América in 2002, winning the MVP award. He was also quoted saying once, "I really hate Fernando Albarran, he is scum of the earth and is an emberrasment to soccer."
In the 2004 South American Copa Libertadores playoffs, Blanco and several Club América players were involved in a large fierce brawl with São Caetano players from Brazil in the Estadio Azteca (Aztec Stadium); as both team officials and spectators invaded the football field to joined the fight; after São Caetano players provoked the Club Américan team by flapping their arms like eagles. Club América went on to lose the match, while Blanco and several players escaped a one year ban.[1] However, Blanco was suspended and put on loan to CD Veracruz for six months before returning to Club América.
In May of 2005, Blanco won his first club championship as a player, leading Club América to its tenth league title, when Club América defeated the UAG Tecos by an aggregate score of 7-4 (1-1, 6-3). In the next three consecutve years between 2005 to 2007, he was awarded the MVP.
Blanco is regarded as one of Mexico's best attacking football strikers and one of the league's most prolific scorers still in activity, with 151 goals. He has amassed 97 caps and scored 34 goals for his country.
[edit] International career
Blanco has played for the Mexican national football team in two World Cups including France '98 and Korea-Japan 2002, scoring in each one of them. He was a member of the Mexican national team that won the Confederations Cup in 1999 where he was the tournament's leading scorer with 6 goals. He was awarded the "Golden Boot" and "Silver Ball" for outstanding player of the tournament. Blanco holds the record along with Ronaldinho as the highest scoring players in the Confederations Cup with 9 goals, three in 1997 and 6 in 1999. He is also one of the top scorers of the Mexican national football team; nine goals behind the top scorer Jared Borgetti.
Blanco was responsible for introducing a unique football technique known popularly in Mexico as the "Cuautemiña" (also known as the "Blanco Bounce" or "Bunny Hop"), whereupon Blanco would deviously secure the ball lodged between both feet to avoid tackling players, with the ball hidden away from the defenders. This skill was introduced in the 1998 World Cup in France, against South Korea. In the selection for the final 23 man squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, former Mexican national team coach Ricardo Lavolpe left Blanco out of the team. While the ostensible reason is that Blanco was frequently injured and not in good form; some people considered this to be a consequence of the previous year's constant bickering, due to on-going personal problems between coach and player. Following the exclusion of Blanco on the national team, a large group of fans organized a 15 kilometer protest march.
[edit] United States, Major League Soccer
On April 2, 2007, Blanco ventured on to Major League Soccer in the United States and signed with Chicago Fire. He was welcomed by 5,000 fans at Toyota Park as he conducted interviews with the media, signed autographs and greeted with fans. He told fans, "I am coming to Chicago", "I am very happy and will give 100 percent for Chicago to be in the final. I look forward to working with this group of players to bring a championship title to Chicago, a community that has always supported me, in good times and in bad times. I hope to bring great satisfaction to all of you."
Blanco played his first match against Scottish club Celtic FC. He scored the first goal of the game in a drawn match. Blanco's first season with Chicago achieved him success, as he scored 4 goals and had 7 assists in 14 regular season games as he helped the club reach the MLS Eastern Conference Final. He was later voted as a finalist for both the M.V.P. and Newcomer of the Year awards in 2007.[2] As of the 2008 season, Blanco is one of the highest-paid Major League Soccer players in the league, earning $2.6 million (U.S.) dollars per year.
[edit] Celebration
From early on in his career, Blanco celebrates scoring a goal by acting like the Prehispanic Tlatoani Aztec emperor Cuauhtémoc, in order to show respect for the Mexican people, and their indigenous Amerindian heritage.
[edit] Other notable celebrations
The feud between Blanco and former Mexican national team coach Ricardo Lavolpe has lasted for more than 10 years; since when inappropriate words were said before a match between Club América and CF Atlas, where Lavolpe was coach. Blanco scored a goal in that match and celebrated by intimidating and lying on the field just several meters in front of Lavolpe.
[edit] Controversy
Blanco has been involved in various controversial events in his career. Despite achieving tremendous amount of success in his career, Blanco has been subjected and talked about by the Mexican media[who?] for his laid back personality and controversial behavior, including his rivalry with Ricardo Lavolpe; relationships with Mexican actresses Liliana Lago Sosa (nicknamed the "nacha plus" due to her immense buttocks), Galilea Montijo, and other personal issues.
Blanco also punched reporter David Faitelson in his locker room in a match between Club América and CD Veracruz in the Luis Pirata Fuente Stadium; prompting T.V. Azteca to start a feud with Blanco.[citation needed]
[edit] Honors
[edit] Club Honors
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2006
- Mexican Championship - Clausura 2005
- Mexican Championship - Campeón De Campeones (Mexican Super Cup) 2005
- FIFA Club World Cup 4th Place 2007
[edit] International Honors
- Confederations Cup 1999
- CONCACAF Gold Cup 1996
- CONCACAF Gold Cup 1998
[edit] Individual Honors
- Top-scorer in the Confederations Cup - 1999
- Silver Ball in the Confederations Cup - 1999
- Top-scorer in the Mexican League, Invierno 1998
- Most valuable player, Mexico - Invierno 1998
- Most valuable player, Mexico 2005
- Most valuable player, Mexico 2006
- Most valuable player, Clausura 2007
- Best Mexican Player - Season 2001/2002
[edit] Other information
The name Cuauhtémoc comes form the Nahuatl words "Cuauhtli" and "Temoc". The word "Cuauhtli" means "Eagle", and it is used as the official mascot of Club América.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Soccernet.espn.go.com. America appeal against Blanco ban. Retrieved on 2004-06-04.
- ^ MLSnet.com: Press release. 2007 MLS award finalists & announcement schedule. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
[edit] External links
- MLS Chicago Fire player page
- Chicago Fire Soccer Club
- Cuauhtémoc Blanco Article (Spanish)
- Football Database.com provides Cuauhtémoc Blanco's profile and stats
- Cuauhtémoc Blanco Statistics at MedioTiempo.com (Spanish)
- Club América team website (Spanish)
- Photo gallery and article (Spanish)
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