Cuauhtémoc Blanco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cuauhtémoc Blanco
Blanco in 2017
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 August 2024
Governor of Morelos
In office 1 October 2018 – 31 August 2024
Preceded by	Graco Ramírez
Succeeded by	Margarita González Saravia
Municipal president of Cuernavaca
In office 1 January 2016 – 2 April 2018
Preceded by	Jorge Morales Barud
Succeeded by	Denisse Arizmendi Villegas
Personal details
Born	Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo (1973-01-17) 17 January 1973 (age 52) Mexico City, Mexico
Political party	MORENA (since 2022)
Other political affiliations	Social Democratic Party (2015–2016) Independent (2016–2017) Social Encounter Party (2017–2022)
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Spouses	Marisela Santoyo ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2003)​ Natalia Rezende ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	4
Occupation	Footballer (retired) Politician
Cuauhtémoc Blanco Personal information Playing position Forward Attacking midfielder Youth career 1988–1992 América Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1992–2007 América 308 (108) 1997–1998 → Necaxa (loan) 18 (11) 2000–2002 → Real Valladolid (loan) 23 (3) 2004 → Veracruz (loan) 15 (5) 2007–2009 Chicago Fire 62 (16) 2008 → Santos Laguna (loan) 4 (1) 2010 Veracruz 14 (5) 2010–2011 Irapuato 47 (9) 2012–2013 Dorados 40 (14) 2013–2014 BUAP 22 (6) 2014–2015 Puebla 19 (3) 2016 América 1 (0) Total 573 (181) National team 1995–2014 Mexico 119 (38) Honours Men's football Representing  Mexico FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 1999 Mexico Third 1995 Saudi Arabia CONCACAF Gold Cup Winner 1996 United States Winner 1998 United States Runner-up 2007 United States Copa América Third 1997 Bolivia Third 1999 Paraguay Third 2007 Venezuela Pan American Games Silver 1995 Mar del Plata Team Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo (born January 17, 1973) is a famous Mexican politician and former professional footballer. He is currently a member of the Chamber of Deputies. Before this, he was the Governor of Morelos from 2018 to 2024. He also served as the mayor (called municipal president) of Cuernavaca, Morelos. As a footballer, Blanco was known for his strong attacking skills. He played mostly as a forward and later as an attacking midfielder. Many people consider Blanco to be one of the greatest Mexican footballers ever.

Early Life

Blanco was born in Mexico City, in an area called Tlatilco. He grew up in a neighborhood known as Tepito. His parents are Faustino Blanco and Hortensia Bravo. He was named after the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc. His name means "one who has descended like an eagle."

Football Career

Beginnings

Blanco started his football journey with América in 1992. He won many team and individual awards there. He also played for other teams on loan, like Necaxa, the Spanish club Real Valladolid, and Veracruz.

In 2007, he joined the Chicago Fire in the United States. He also had a short loan with Santos Laguna in 2008. In 2010, he returned to Mexico and played for several teams. These included Veracruz again, Irapuato, Dorados, and Puebla-based teams Lobos BUAP and Puebla. He officially retired from Puebla in 2015. The next year, he played one last game for América to end his career with his first club.

Club Career

Club América

Blanco with América

Cuauhtémoc Blanco played most of his career with América. He made 333 appearances and scored 135 goals for the club. Because of this, he became a hero to the club's fans and a very important part of their history.

Blanco first played in the Mexican Primera División in 1992 when he was 19. He won his first Golden Boot award in 1998, scoring 16 goals for América. He was loaned to Necaxa in 1997 and 1998, where he scored 13 goals.

Later, Blanco was loaned to Real Valladolid in Spain for the 2000–01 season. He broke his leg while playing for Mexico, which kept him out for six months. He returned to Valladolid the next season but found it hard to get back in form. He was known for scoring amazing goals in Spain, including a free-kick against Real Madrid.

He came back to Mexico and played for Veracruz in 2004. He was a very popular player there. In May 2005, Blanco helped Club América win their tenth league title. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for three years in a row, from 2005 to 2007. He scored his last goal for América in the 2007 championship final.

Chicago Fire

Blanco in Chicago in 2009

On April 2, 2007, Blanco moved to Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. He signed with Chicago Fire. About 5,000 fans welcomed him at Toyota Park.

He was a finalist for both the MVP and Newcomer of the Year awards in 2007. Blanco also won the 2007 Goal of the Year for a fantastic goal against Real Salt Lake.

Blanco was one of the highest-paid players in MLS at the time. In 2008, he won the MVP award at the All-Stars Game against West Ham United. He had one assist and one goal in that game.

Santos Laguna (loan)

On November 19, 2008, Santos Laguna signed Blanco for a short loan. He played for them only during the 2008 Apertura championship. Blanco said he wanted to help Santos win another championship. He scored his first goal for Santos on November 29, 2008, from a penalty kick.

Later Career

Blanco warming up with Irapuato in 2010

In October 2009, Blanco decided not to renew his contract with Chicago Fire. He signed with Veracruz in Mexico in January 2010. After six months, he moved to Irapuato. With Blanco's help, Irapuato won the 2011 Clausura tournament.

Blanco playing for Dorados in 2012

In December 2011, Blanco joined Dorados de Sinaloa. He won the Copa MX with Dorados in 2012. Blanco had planned to retire at the end of 2012, but he changed his mind and played for another six months.

Blanco then signed with Lobos BUAP for the 2013–14 season. After one year, he left the club.

He then signed with Puebla for what was supposed to be his last season in Liga MX. On April 21, 2015, he played in the Copa MX final against Guadalajara. Puebla won the cup, and Blanco ended his career as a champion.

However, on February 22, 2016, Blanco returned to play one official Liga MX match for Club América. This allowed him to officially end his career with the club where he started. On March 5, he played 36 minutes for América at the Estadio Azteca. During the game, Blanco showed his famous move, the Cuauhtemiña. América won the match 4–1.

International Career

Blanco played for the Mexico from 1995 to 2010, with a special appearance in 2014. He played 120 games and scored 38 goals. Blanco is the only Mexican player to have won awards at the FIFA Confederations Cup. He received the Silver Ball and Silver Boot at the 1999 Confederations Cup, which Mexico won at home.

Blanco scoring a penalty against France at the 2010 World Cup

Blanco played for Mexico in three World Cups: France 1998, Korea-Japan 2002, and South Africa 2010. In 2010, he became the first Mexican to score in three different World Cup tournaments.

He was also part of the team that won the Confederations Cup in 1999. He was the top scorer in that tournament with six goals, including the winning goal against Brazil in the final. Blanco holds the record with Brazil's Ronaldinho for the most goals in the Confederations Cup, with nine goals.

On September 13, 2008, he played his 100th game for Mexico in a World Cup qualifier against Canada. After this match, he announced his retirement from international football.

However, when Javier Aguirre became the coach, Blanco returned to the national team in May 2009. He played in all the World Cup qualifying games. On June 17, 2010, he scored a penalty in Mexico's 2–0 win against France at the World Cup in South Africa. This goal made him the first Mexican to score in three World Cup tournaments.

Blanco played a special tribute game in 2014 against Israel at the Estadio Azteca. This game marked his official retirement from international football. Mexico won the match 3–0.

Player Profile

Style of Play

Blanco as captain with Veracruz

Cuauhtémoc Blanco is considered one of Mexico's greatest footballers. He was also known as one of the best penalty takers ever. He scored 71 out of 73 penalties in his career, which is a very high success rate.

He had a strong and direct playing style. He was known for making clever plays and being a tough competitor on the field.

Cuauhtemiña

Blanco is famous for a special trick he performed, called the Cuauhtemiña or Blanco Trick. He famously used it at the 1998 World Cup. When two or more opposing players tried to take the ball from him, he would trap the ball between his feet. Then, he would jump through the defenders, releasing the ball in the air. He would land with the ball still under his control, leaving the other players behind. This trick is simple but very impressive. It has even been included as a special skill in the FIFA series of football video games.

Celebration

Blanco has said that his goal celebration, where he acts like an archer, was inspired by a former Spanish player named Kiko Narvaez. However, the Chicago Fire team website said that Blanco's celebration was meant to honor the Prehispanic Aztec emperor Cuauhtémoc. This was to show respect for the Mexican people and their native heritage.

Career Statistics

Club America

International

International Goals

Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first.

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	21 January 1996	L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States	Brazil	2–0	2–0	1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2.	7 February 1996	Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile	Chile	1–0	1–2	Friendly
3.	16 June 1996	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States	United States	2–1	2–2	1996 U.S. Cup
4.	22 June 1997	Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba, Bolivia	Ecuador	1–1	1–1	1997 Copa América
5.	14 December 1997	King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia	3–0	5–0	1997 FIFA Confederations Cup
6.				5–0
7.	16 December 1997	King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Brazil	1–1	2–3	1997 FIFA Confederations Cup
8.	7 February 1998	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, United States	Honduras	1–0	2–0	1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
9.				2–0
10.	20 June 1998	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux, France	Belgium	2–2	2–2	1998 FIFA World Cup
11.	6 July 1999	Antonio Oddone Sarubbi, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay	Venezuela	1–0	3–1	1999 Copa América
12.				3–0
13.	25 July 1999	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Saudi Arabia	1–0	5–1	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup
14.				2–0
15.				4–1
16.				5–1
17.	1 August 1999	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	United States	1–0	1–0	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup
18.	4 August 1999	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Brazil	4–2	4–3	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup
19.	9 January 2000	Networks Associates Coliseum, Oakland, United States	Iran	2–0	2–1	Friendly
20.	3 September 2000	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Panama	4–0	7–1	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
21.				7–1
22.	8 October 2000	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Trinidad and Tobago	1–0	7–1	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
23.				3–0
24.	2 September 2001	Independence Park, Kingston, Jamaica	Jamaica	1–1	2–1	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
25.				2–1
26.	5 September 2001	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Trinidad and Tobago	3–0	3–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
27.	11 November 2001	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Honduras	1–0	3–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier
28.				3–0
29.	3 June 2002	Niigata Stadium, Niigata, Japan	Croatia	1–0	1–0	2002 FIFA World Cup
30.	28 February 2007	Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, United States	Venezuela	3–0	3–0	Friendly
31.	10 June 2007	Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States	Honduras	1–0	1–2	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
32.	8 July 2007	Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Maturín, Venezuela	Paraguay	5–0	6–0	2007 Copa América
33.	14 July 2007	Estadio Olímpico, Caracas, Venezuela	Uruguay	1–1	3–1	2007 Copa América
34.	6 June 2009	Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	1–1	1–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
35.	9 September 2009	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Honduras	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
36.	10 October 2009	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	El Salvador	2–0	4–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
37.	17 March 2010	Estadio Corona, Torreón, Mexico	North Korea	1–0	2–1	Friendly
38.	17 June 2010	Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa	France	2–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup

Political Career

Municipal President of Cuernavaca (2015–2018)

In January 2015, Blanco decided to run for mayor of Cuernavaca. Cuernavaca is the capital city of the Mexican state of Morelos. He was officially chosen as a candidate two months later. In the 2015 elections, he won the mayoral race.

In March 2017, he joined a new political group called the Social Encounter Party (PES).

Governor of Morelos (2018–2024)

Blanco shaking hands with Enrique Peña Nieto, December 2018

For the 2018 elections, Cuauhtémoc Blanco became a candidate for Governor of Morelos. He was part of a group of parties called Juntos Haremos Historia. On March 11, 2018, he officially registered to run for Governor. On April 2, 2018, he left his role as mayor of Cuernavaca to focus on the election.

On July 1, 2018, he won the election by a large margin. He became the first former footballer to win a state governor election in Mexico. He started his term as Governor on October 1, 2018. As governor, he worked on important issues for the state.

Personal Life

Cuauhtémoc Blanco was married to Marisela Santoyo from 1996 to 2003. They have a son named Cuauhtémoc Jr. In 2015, Blanco married Natalia Rezende. They have a son together named Roberto, who was born in 2016.

He also appeared on the North American cover of the FIFA 10 video game.

Honours

América

• Mexican Primera División: Clausura 2005
• Campeón de Campeones: 2005
• CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 1992, 2006

Dorados

• Copa MX: Apertura 2012

Irapuato

• Liga de Ascenso: Clausura 2011

Puebla

• Copa MX: Clausura 2015

Mexico

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 1999
• CONCACAF Gold Cup: 1996, 1998

Individual

• FIFA Confederations Cup Silver Boot: 1999
• FIFA Confederations Cup Silver Ball: 1999
• CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 1998
• Mexican Primera División Golden Ball: Invierno 1998, 2004–05, 2006–07
• Mexican Primera División Golden Boot: Invierno 1998
• Mexican Primera División Best Forward: Invierno 1998, Apertura 2005
• MLS Player of the Month: May 2008
• MLS Best XI: 2008
• MLS All-Star: 2008, 2009
• MLS All-Star Game MVP: 2008
• MLS Goal of the Year: 2007
• Tecate Premios Deportes Male Athlete of the Year: 2008
• Tecate Premios Deportes North American Footballer of the Year: 2008
• Tecate Premios Deportes Footballer of the Year: 2009
• Tecate Premios Deportes Best XI: 2008
• Premio Nacional del Deporte: 2009

Records

• FIFA Confederations Cup All Time Scorer: 9 goals (shared with Ronaldinho)
• Most Liga MX Citalli/Golden Ball Awards: 3 (shared with Cabinho & Fabián Estay)

See Also

In Spanish: Cuauhtémoc Blanco para niños

• List of footballers with 100 or more international caps
• Retired numbers in association football