Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo (born January 17, 1973 in Tepito, Mexico
City) is a Mexican football striker, who currently plays for
Club América.
Blanco made his debut in the Mexican First Division at age 17,
back in 1990 for Club América, and went on to play with Necaxa,
Veracruz and Real Valladolid in Spain before returning to Club
América. Blanco has also played for the Mexican National Team in
two World Cups, France '98 and Korea-Japan 2002, scoring a total
of two goals, and was also a member of the Mexican National Team
that won the Confederations Cup in 1999, where he was the
tournament's leading scorer and attracted much attention from
both Spanish and German clubs. This year Blanco will not go to
the World Cup in Germany 2006 because the coach was caught
saying he was disgusted by Blanco's behavior and how he is.
Although Blanco suffered a threatening injury during the
qualifying round for the 2002 World Cup against Trinidad and
Tobago, he still remains one of the best players currently
playing in Mexico. However, after his injury, his chances of
playing in Europe were effectively ended.
In May of 2005, Blanco won his first ever club championship as a
player, leading Club América to its tenth league title and
second in 16 years, when the "Aguilas" defeated the UAG Tecos by
an aggregate score of 7-4 (1-1, 6-3).
Blanco is one of the league's most prolific scorers still in
activity, with over more than 100 goals to his name. He was also
responsible for introducing a unique footballing technique known
popularly as the 'Blanco Bounce' or 'Bunny Hop' ('Cuauhtemiña'
in Mexico), whereupon he would tuck the ball between his feet
and leap over tackling or on-rushing opponents with the ball
still clutched in the same position. This unique move was
introduced in the 1998 World Cup against South Korea. Blanco is
also known for wearing snow-white boots, a relatively rare
practice in football today. In the selection for the final 2006
World Cup team, coach Ricardo La Volpe left Blanco off the team.
While the ostensible reason is that Blanco is oft injured and
not in good form, some view it as a snub due to the constant
bickering of the past year. |
