For Cuauhtémoc Blanco, it appears that the allure of soccer is too much to ignore. And so, despite enjoying his retirement with a mayorship in Cuernavaca and the occasional assassination plot, Cuau is strapping on his cleats one more time for the “Final de Leyenda, Compromiso de Paz” match that will signal the closing of Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Vicente Calderon.
https://twitter.com/CuauhtemocBco/status/867094510525984769
Other players participating in the Vicente Calderon’s final match on May 28th include current Atletico players Koke, Juanfran, and Gabi. The little brother of Madrid soccer clubs will be moving into their new stadium, the remodeled Wanda Metropolitano, this summer. The match is being hosted as both a farewell to the formidable Vicente Calderon and as a charity match for the nebulous cause of “world peace.”
Ignoring the fact that Blanco barely played in Spain–only suiting up for 23 games in a 2-year loan spell at Real Valladolid-it’s still bizarre that the current mayor of Morelos capital Cuernavaca is taking time away from being a beleaguered politician in order to kick the old soccer ball around.
Since taking office in 2016, Blanco has been hounded by accusations of inexperience, over-delegation, and lack of interest in actually holding office. In April of this year, the news got darker for Blanco, as a handful politicians blamed the death of Juan Manuel García Bejarano on Blanco, saying that the former El Tri star ordered a hit on the Cuernavaca businessman.
Blanco went into hiding following the accusations, saying that he feared for his life and the lives of his family, but he has since returned to work at the head of the city’s government. Now, he’s heading to Spain, away from the prying eyes and accusations of Cuernavaca and, for one day only, back into the soccer world spotlight.