Mexico vs Israel: El Tri says farewell to Cuauhtemoc Blanco
By Josh Sanchez
On Wednesday night, Mexico plays their final game on home soil before finishing off their World Cup tuneup schedule and then traveling to Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. While the fans at Estadio Azteca will be sending off the team for their World Cup run, they will also be sending off one of the most iconic players in El Tri history, Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
More from Soccer
- LA Galaxy vs. Club Leon Leagues Cup match rescheduled for July 26
- USWNT vs. Vietnam: Key takeaways before they take on the Dutch
- Caesars, BetMGM and PointsBet Promo Codes Give $1,850 Bonus for ANY World Cup or MLB Game!
- LeBron James, Giannis, Damian Lillard all want that Mbappé money
- Is this Alex Morgan’s last Women’s World Cup with the USWNT?
Blanco will be putting on the Mexico jersey one final time when he takes against the pitch against Israel.
For the 41-year-old veteran who played in three World Cups, won a Confederations Cup and two Gold Cups, it will be his 122nd appearance for El Tri and he couldn’t be happier with how everything is set to come to an end.
“With what I have done with the national team, I leave happy. I always gave it my best effort,” Blanco told reporters, via Yahoo.
Blanco will be taking the spot of Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez in the team’s starting line up opposite Oribe Peralta. For a man who has meant so much to the Mexican side and the loyal El Tri fans, it is great to see he will be getting a deserving send-off at Estadio Azteca.
He is expected to play between 15 and 20 minutes to start the game.
Who knows, we may get to see his signature bunny hop one final time against Israel.
When the El Tri squad is announced, Blanco will get a heroes welcome, and when his moment comes to walk off of the pitch at Estadio Azteca for the final time we will get to see the crowd erupt as a true legend leaves his mark on a game that means so much to so many people.
Blanco helped create a lot of those great memories and now he can take in this final moment for himself.
As we prepare to say farewell to Blanco, let’s relive some of the greatest moments of his career in the highlight video below.
After Wednesday night’s game, El Tri will go on a three-game tour in the United States while they finish off their World Cup preparation against Ecuador, Bosnia and Portugal.