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Cuauhtémoc Blanco | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Blanco in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theChamber of Deputies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 ofCuernavaca | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
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Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo (Spanish pronunciation:[kwawˈtemokˈblaŋko]; born 17 January 1973) is a Mexican politician and former professionalfootballer serving as a member of theChamber of Deputies.
He served as theGovernor of Morelos from 2018 to 2024 under the coalitionJuntos Haremos Historia, and as themayor ofCuernavaca,Morelos.
As a footballer, Blanco was known for his attacking ability and played most of his career as adeep-lying forward and his last years as anattacking midfielder. Blanco is considered to be one of the greatestMexican footballers of all time.
Blanco was born inMexico City, in the district ofTlatilco,[2] but grew up inTepito.[3] Born to Faustino Blanco and Hortensia Bravo,[4] he was named after the lastAztec emperorCuauhtémoc, in which the name means "one who has descended like an eagle".[5]
Blanco started his career withAmérica in 1992, where he won various awards, both team-based and individual, and had various loan stints withNecaxa, Spanish clubReal Valladolid, andVeracruz. In 2007, he joined theChicago Fire,[6] with a loan stint withSantos Laguna for the2008 Apertura championship. In 2010, he returned to Mexico to trek throughout various teams, joining Veracruz again,Irapuato,Dorados, and Puebla-based teamsLobos BUAP andPuebla, where he retired with the latter in 2015. The following year, he came out of retirement to officially end his career with América.[6]
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.
Blanco made his debut in theMexican 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 forLas Águilas. He was loaned for Winter 1997 and Summer 1998 atNecaxa, in which he scored 13 goals in 28 appearances. Blanco was later loaned toReal Valladolid ofLa Liga for the 2000–01 season. However, he suffered a broken leg while on international duty which kept him out of the side for six months. Blanco returned to Valladolid for another loan spell the following season, but he struggled with homesickness and regaining his form. He had a knack for scoring great goals in La Liga, with most notable, a free-kick againstReal Madrid at theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium.[7]
He returned to Mexico and spent the2004 Apertura season withVeracruz, where they ended up winning their group, but were defeated in the playoffs byUNAM. Blanco was a popular player during his time there.In May 2005, Blanco won his first club championship as a player, leading Club América to its tenth league title, when Club América defeatedU.A.G. by an aggregate score of 7–4 (1–1, 6–3). 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 ventured on to Major League Soccer in the United States and signed withChicago Fire. He was welcomed by 5,000 fans atToyota Park as he conducted interviews with the media, signed autographs and greeted with fans.
He was later voted as a finalist for both theMVP andNewcomer of the Year awards in 2007.[8] Blanco was the 2007Goal of the Year winner, for his goal againstReal Salt Lake.[9]
Blanco was the second-highest paid player in Major League Soccer, afterLA Galaxy midfielderDavid Beckham, earning $2.7 million a year.[10] Once again, he was a finalist for the MVP of the year award.
On 24 July 2008, in theAll-Stars Game againstWest Ham United, Blanco won the MVP award with one assist and one goal, a game in which he only played 46 minutes. The MLS All-stars won 3–2.
On 19 November 2008, it was announced thatSantos Laguna signed Blanco on a loan to play only for theApertura 2008 championship, after the injury of theirEcuadorian strikerChristian Benítez. Blanco was formally presented to the press the next day, wearing the number 9 jersey, and stated that he looked forward to giving Santos a back-to-back championship.[11][12][13] On 29 November 2008, Blanco scored his first goal with Santos, 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 withVeracruz of theAscenso MX beginning in January 2010.[14] However, after 6 months with Veracruz he left forIrapuato.[15] Led by Blanco, Irapuato won the 2011 Clausura, but the team failed to advance to thePrimera División, losing toTijuana in thepromotional final.
In December 2011, Blanco joinedDorados de Sinaloa ofLiga de Ascenso.[16] DuringApertura 2012, Blanco won theCopa MX with Dorados. Despite Blanco announcing he would retire after the end of 2012, he changed his mind and played for another six months with Dorados. However, after the tournament ended, he did not renew his contract and was released from the team in June 2013.
Blanco signed forLobos BUAP for theApertura 2013 Liga de Ascenso season.[17] After one year with the club, he did not renew his contract with BUAP and was released from the club at the end of the season, in which the club failed to qualify for the play-offs.
After considering retirement, Blanco signed withPuebla for one last season in theLiga MX. On 21 April 2015, he played in theClausura's Copa MX final againstGuadalajara, coming off the bench. Puebla went on to win the cup, and sent Blanco off as a champion in what was supposed to be the final game of his career.
On 22 February 2016, a month into his political career, it was announced that Blanco would participate in an official Liga MX match during the Week 9 of Clausura 2016 for the club that started his career, Club América.[18] It would allow him to officially end his career, while playing for the club. On 5 March, Blanco started the match wearing a number 100 jersey, and played 36 minutes for América at theEstadio Azteca in a match againstMorelia, before being replaced byDarwin Quintero.[19] During the match, Blanco demonstrated his signature move, theCuauhtemiña, and had two shots on goal, one of which hit the crossbar from the outside of the penalty box. The match was eventually won by América 4–1.[20][21]
Blanco representedMexico from 1995 to 2010 (with a special appearance in 2014). He was capped 120 times and scored 38 goals. Blanco is the only Mexican to have wonConfederations Cup awards, being awarded the Silver Ball and Silver Boot at the1999 Confederations Cup after a first-place finish on home soil, untilOswaldo Sánchez's Golden Glove award in 2005. In 2010, he became the first Mexican to score at threeWorld Cup tournaments, a feat later equalled byRafael Márquez andJavier Hernández, appearing in the1998,2002, and2010 editions of the tournament.
Blanco made his debut with the senior national team underBora Milutinovic in a friendly match againstUruguay on 1 February 1995.[22] Blanco has played forMexico at threeWorld Cups; he was part of the squad atFrance 1998,Korea-Japan 2002 andSouth Africa 2010.[23] He was also a member of the team that won theConfederations Cup in1999 where he was the tournament's leading scorer with six goals, including the winning goal at theEstadio Azteca againstBrazil in the final. He was awarded the "Silver Shoe" and "Silver Ball" for outstanding player of the tournament. Blanco holds the record along with BrazilianRonaldinho as the highest scoring players in the Confederations Cup with nine goals, three in1997 and six in1999.
In the selection for the final 23-man squad for the2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, then national team coachRicardo La Volpe left Blanco out of the team. While the ostensible reason given was 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.[23]
Blanco became part of the squad that played the2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, scoring one penalty goal, and the2007 Copa América, where he scored 2 goals also from penalty kicks. On 13 September 2008, he earned his 100th cap for his country in its 2–1World Cup qualifier victory overCanada atTuxtla Gutiérrez, coming on with only 15 seconds left in regulation time. After the match, he announced his retirement from international football.[24]
With the return ofJavier Aguirre as coach, Blanco returned to the national team in May 2009.[25] He played in all the games throughout theHexagonal of the World Cup Qualifying. Since then, Blanco has become an important factor in Mexico's team regaining form and confidence.
On 10 October 2009, Blanco provoked the first oppositionown goal and scored the second goal in a 4–1 victory overEl Salvador to help Mexico clinch a spot in the2010 World Cup. On 17 June 2010, he scored a penalty in the 78th minute of the 2–0 win againstFrance at the World Cup's second round of group stage matches inSouth Africa.[26] With this goal he became the first Mexican to score a goal in three World Cup tournaments and the third-oldest goalscorer in World Cup history.[27][28]
Blanco played a tribute game in 2014 againstIsrael at the Estadio Azteca, which symbolized his official retirement from international football. Mexico went on to win the match 3–0.
Blanco is considered to be one of the greatest Mexican footballers of all time,[29][30][31][32] as well as one of the best penalty takers of all time,[33] having scored 71 out of 73 penalties in his career, giving him a 97.26% success rate from the spot.[34]
His brash, aggressive, and confrontative playing style is reflected both on and off the field, pulling ingenious plays[35] and being combative against the press, players, and coaches alike.[36]
Blanco is also remembered for theCuauhtemiña, or Blanco Trick, which he performed notably at the1998 World Cup.[37] In the trick, when two or more opposition players are trying to take the ball from him, he traps the ball between his feet and jumps through the defenders – releasing the ball in the air and landing with it under control as he leaves the opposition players behind.[38] The trick is easy to perform but is eye-catching and has been incorporated as a special skill into theFIFA series of football video games.
Blanco himself has accepted on Mexican television and to the press that his goal celebration is an imitation of the "Archer" celebration created by formerAtletico de Madrid strikerKiko Narvaez. In a 2005 interview with Mexican newspaperEl Universal, Blanco explains that while watching aSpanish league game accompanied by his teammateGermán Villa, both players agreed to celebrate their next goal by imitating the "Archer" gesture. In the end, only Blanco did it, and jokingly reprimanded Villa for not keeping his word.[39] However, the Chicago Fire official website claimed that Blanco celebrates scoring a goal by acting like thePrehispanicTlatoani Aztec emperorCuauhtémoc, "in order to show respect for the Mexican people, and their indigenous Amerindian heritage".[40]
Blanco is considered one of the most influential figures in recent Mexican footballing history.[41] Tom Marshall ofESPN states "the battles, brawls,golazos, insults, intensity and passion with which Blanco [...] lived both on and off the pitch, he left a deep imprint on the Mexican game and a colorful story painted by the kind of character arguably lacking at present."[42]
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Season | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| América | 1992–93 | Primera División | 12 | 0 | – | – | 12 | 0 | ||
| 1993–94 | 14 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 0 | ||||
| 1994–95 | 28 | 6 | – | – | 28 | 6 | ||||
| 1995–96 | 32 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 0 | ||||
| 1996–97 | 27 | 9 | – | – | 27 | 9 | ||||
| Total | 113 | 15 | – | 113 | 15 | |||||
| Necaxa (loan) | 1997–98 | Primera División | 15 | 6 | – | – | 15 | 6 | ||
| 1998–99 | 3 | 5 | – | – | 3 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 18 | 11 | – | 18 | 11 | |||||
| América | 1998–99 | Primera División | 16 | 16 | – | – | 16 | 16 | ||
| 1999–2000 | 29 | 24 | – | – | 29 | 24 | ||||
| Total | 45 | 40 | – | – | 45 | 40 | ||||
| Real Valladolid (loan) | 2000–01 | La Liga | 3 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | 20 | 3 | – | – | 20 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 23 | 3 | – | – | 23 | 3 | ||||
| América | 2002–03 | Primera División | 36 | 11 | – | – | 36 | 11 | ||
| 2003–04 | 38 | 20 | – | – | 38 | 20 | ||||
| Total | 74 | 31 | – | – | 74 | 31 | ||||
| Veracruz (loan) | 2004–05 | Primera División | 15 | 5 | – | – | 15 | 5 | ||
| América | 2004–05 | Primera División | 14 | 4 | – | – | 14 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 | 28 | 7 | – | – | 28 | 7 | ||||
| 2006–07 | 34 | 11 | – | – | 34 | 11 | ||||
| Total | 76 | 22 | – | – | 76 | 22 | ||||
| Chicago Fire | 2007 | Major League Soccer | 14 | 4 | – | – | 14 | 4 | ||
| 2008 | 27 | 7 | – | – | 27 | 7 | ||||
| 2009 | 21 | 5 | – | 4 | 2 | 25 | 7 | |||
| Total | 62 | 16 | – | 4 | 2 | 66 | 18 | |||
| Santos Laguna (loan) | 2008–09 | Primera División | 4 | 1 | – | – | 4 | 1 | ||
| Veracruz | 2009–10 | Liga de Ascenso | 14 | 5 | – | |||||
| Irapuato | 2010–11 | Liga de Ascenso | 39 | 8 | – | |||||
| 2011–12 | 8 | 1 | – | |||||||
| Total | 47 | 9 | – | – | ||||||
| Dorados | 2011–12 | Liga de Ascenso | 13 | 5 | – | |||||
| 2012–13 | Ascenso MX | 27 | 9 | 10 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 40 | 14 | 10 | 2 | – | |||||
| BUAP | 2013–14 | Ascenso MX | 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | – | 23 | 6 | |
| Puebla | 2014–15 | Liga MX | 19 | 3 | 11 | 4 | – | 30 | 7 | |
| América | 2015–16 | Liga MX | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
| Career total | 573 | 181 | 22 | 6 | 595 | 187 | ||||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 1995 | 1 | 0 |
| 1996 | 11 | 3 | |
| 1997 | 15 | 4 | |
| 1998 | 15 | 3 | |
| 1999 | 18 | 8 | |
| 2000 | 4 | 5 | |
| 2001 | 4 | 5 | |
| 2002 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 11 | 4 | |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 120 | 38 | |
| 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 |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Gotita de amor | Himself |
| 2007 | La familia P. Luche | |
| 2010 | Hasta que el dinero nos separe | |
| 2010-11 | Triunfo del amor | Juan José Martínez |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Y tú qué sientes por ella? | Himself | Adidas commercial |
| 2010 | Más Color | Laundry detergent ofHenkel Commercial withConsuelo Duval | |
| 2011 | Pepsi | Commercial of his Special Edition product | |
| 2014 | Commercial withFrancisco Palencia &Luis Hernández |
In January 2015, Blanco registered as aSocial Democratic Party (PSD) candidate for themunicipal presidential elections of the city ofCuernavaca, the capital of the Mexican state ofMorelos,[45] and was formally nominated two months later.[46] In the2015 state election, he won in a closely contested election, narrowly defeatingMaricela Velázquez of the incumbentInstitutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). In a subsequent vote recount Blanco was confirmed the winner of the municipal presidential race.[47][48]
As municipal president, Blanco struggled with accusations about his residency in the city,[49][50] allegations that he had accepted a bribe to run for office,[51] and even murder. None of these allegations ever went anywhere.[52][53] In June 2016, he left the Social Democratic Party and dismissed the secretary of the city council, Roberto Yáñez Moreno, which marked the beginning of a dispute between Blanco and the party.[54]
In March 2017, he joined theSocial Encounter Party (PES).[55]
For the2018 general elections, theNational Regeneration Movement proposed having SenatorRabindranath Salazar Solorio as theJuntos Haremos Historia coalition candidate forgovernor of Morelos but the PES, also part of the coalition, argued Blanco was the better choice.[56] In December 2015, it was determined there would be an internal election to see who would become the candidate for the coalition.[57]
On 28 January 2018,Juntos Haremos Historia presidential candidateAndrés Manuel López Obrador announced Blanco would be the coalition's candidate after winning the nominee process against Senator Rabindranath Salazar Solorio.[58] On 11 March 2018 he formally registered to become the candidate for governor of Morelos and, on 2 April 2018, he resigned as municipal president of Cuernavaca in order to formally participate in the gubernatorial elections; he was succeeded as mayor by Denisse Arizmendi Villegas.[59][60] Polls indicated he was in the lead.[61][62]
On 1 July 2018, he won the 2018 gubernatorial elections by a landslide,[63] becoming the first former footballer to win a gubernatorial election in Mexico.[64] He began his term as Governor on 1 October 2018.[65] His greatest challenges as governor were finding adequate funding for thestate university (UAEM) and resolving the high incidence of crime in the state. Only three months into his term, he was already faced with marches denouncing his administration.[66] On 13 February 2019 Blanco formally charged his predecessor,Graco Ramírez, with organized crime, operations with resources of illicit origin, and tax fraud.[67]
One year into his governorship, people began to doubt Blanco's administration. Politically, he disputed withMorena andPT, partners inJuntos Haremos Historia that got him elected. He promoted thePES, which had been dissolved on a national level but remained strong locally.[68] Crime rose significantly, with a 680% increase in cases of extortion, 375% increase in kidnappings, and 41% increase in murders. More than eighty women were killed in 2019, with 22 of the cases classified distinctly asfemicide. Additionally, a tax debt of MXN$302,230 (US$15,800) from his time as a footballer was pardoned by thefederal Tax Administration Service, raising questions of corruption.[69] Roberto Soto Pastor, a former collaborator of Graco Ramírez, sued Blanco for hiring several members of his family and friends, including his half-brother Ulises Bravo, sister-in-law Liu León Luna, uncles Carlos Juárez López, Jaime Juárez López, and Armando Shajid Bravo López, and a close friend named Baltazar Jonathan Alegría Mejía. All received salaries ranging from MXN $45,000 to $60,000 (US$2,300 to $3,100) per month. The suit said their hiring was a violation of article 276 of the Morelos Penal Code, which prohibitsnepotism.[70][71] PresidentAndrés Manuel López Obrador personally called Blanco out for nepotism in a meeting on 11 October.[72] The governor denied allegations of nepotism.[73]
On 8 January 2020, Arias Consultores released a poll that ranked the country's governors from best to worst. Sinaloa governorQuirino Ordaz Coppel was chosen the best, whilePuebla governorMiguel Barbosa Huerta was declared the worst. Cuauhtémoc Blanco was second-to-last at No. 31.[74]
In the2024 general election, Blanco was elected to theChamber of Deputies as aplurinominal deputy for theNational Regeneration Movement (Morena).[75]
He was previously married to Marisela Santoyo from 1996 to 2003, with whom he has a son, Cuauhtémoc Jr., born the same year of their wedding.[76] After their separation in 2000, Blanco had an affair with Liliana Lago, which produced a daughter, Bárbara, born in 2002.[77] In 2015, Blanco married Natalia Rezende.[78] The couple have a son named Roberto, born in 2016.[79]
He appeared on the North American front cover of theFIFA 10 video game along withFrank Lampard andSacha Kljestan.[80]
In October 2024, Blanco was accused of attempting to rape his half-sister.[81]
América
Necaxa
Irapuato
Dorados
Puebla
Mexico
Individual
Records
Cuauhtemoc Blanco Bravo is without doubt one of the finest players Mexico has ever produced
According to this analysis and to the dataset we have used, Cuauhtémoc Blanco (71 scored out of 73 total penalties) is our best penalty taker. [...] Also, according to our results, we can say that Blanco is probably the best penalty taker in the world, but we cannot say that with absolute certainty. What we can say is that, from all the players we have considered and according to our methodology, Blanco has the highest probability of being better than the rest (around 66% probability that he is a better penalty taker than Alexander and Le Tissier (and so on).
The soccer star was known for his ingenuity in the field with famous tricks like the celebrated Cuatemiña and controlling the ball with his butt and his camel-hump back.
On the field, Blanco sometimes looks like a child acting out, which made his signing a flash point for anyone paying attention. He's a major factor in the U.S.-Mexico soccer rivalry, reviled as a badgering, flopping provocateur. With Club America, his celebrations ranged from comical to crass; he once lifted his leg, canine-style, in front of an opposing coach. He has a history of public feuds with coaches, opponents and the media. Said Fire midfielder Chris Armas when the deal was announced in April: "You just hope the guy can be a team player."
Blanco is equally creative with his goal celebrations. To honor Mexican tradition and history, Blanco strikes the iconic pose of prehispanic ruler Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc...
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| Preceded by | Chicago Fire Captain 2008 | Succeeded by |
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