Mexico's iconic forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco will suit up one last time for his national squad Wednesday in a World Cup warm-up against Israel doubling as a tribute game. Mexico manager Miguel Herrera said Monday that the 41-year-old veteran, who played in three World Cups, would start the first 15-20 minutes of the game. "We want people to see him for a bit on the pitch," Herrera told reporters, saying Blanco had a certain "chemistry with the people."
Blanco trained Monday at Mexico City's 105,000-capacity Azteca stadium with the 23 Mexican players heading to the World Cup in Brazil in three weeks. A fan favourite in Mexico on par with legendary striker Hugo Sanchez, Blanco has played for Mexico City's Club America as well as Spain's Valladolid and US professional soccer's Chicago Fire. Defying his age and putting off retirement, he recently signed with Mexican first division team Puebla after a stint in the second division. Blanco, who played in the 1998, 2002 and 2010 World Cups, told reporters he was grateful for the chance to wear Mexico's green jersey one more time.
Comments
Comments are closed.