MEXICO PROFILE: Following a bust-up with his country’s federation, Mexico’s star player refuses to perform at international level. With Blanco absent, Mexico will struggle writes Paul Doyle

Mexico are one of those countries whose presence instantly makes the World Cup even more glamorous – with their fervent fans and flamboyant players, they enhance both the atmosphere and the spectacle. But that reputation is in danger of going the way of the Aztecs if they don’t get their act together before the summer.

Two of their most fondly remembered players from France ’98 are gone – ‘keeper Jorge Campos, small but with super spring, and long, blonde-haired goleador Luis Hernandez have retired.

But they still have the man who gave us one of the most beautiful memories of that tournament – Cuauthemoc Blanco (right), inventor of the famous "frog-leap" when, clutching the ball with both insteps, he hopped between two Belgians and dinked it into the box. After missing 11 months through injury, during which Mexico made a dreadful start to their qualifying campaign, Blanco came back to the fold and fired in nine goals in seven games to save his country from humiliating failure.

And then he walked out. Yes, Blanco plunged Mexican fans into panic when he announced earlier this month that, because he was instructed to pay for his own flight to Honduras for Mexico’s crucial final qualifier (where he bagged a brace), he will never again play for the national team.

Manager Javier Aguirre (left) knows it is depressingly unlikely he will unearth another talent like Blanco’s before he takes his side to Korea/Japan, but since he has already been declared a miracle-worker just for getting the side to the Finals, perhaps it’s within his powers.

Aguirre is Mexico’s third manager since the beginning of a qualifying campaign which kicked-of with an unthinkable beating by Panama. He took the helm with only six matches to go, at a time when Mexico wallowed in fifth place, a position of sheer ignominy for the devout followers of ‘El Tricolore’. Having scooped 16 points from the 18 remaining, Aquirre knows his countrymen now trust him to extract the best from the bleak playing resources available.

His prime asset is Monaco’s excellent 22 year-old defender Rafael Marquez.

Squad:

Goalkeepers
1-Oscar Perez (Cruz Azul), 12-Oswaldo Sanchez (Guadalajara), 23-Jorge Campos (Universidad de Mexico)

Defenders
5-Manuel Vidrio (Pachuca), 2-Francisco Gabriel de Anda (Pachuca), 16-Salvador Carmona (Toluca), 20-Melvin Brown (Cruz Azul), 22-Alberto Rodriguez (Pachuca)

Midfielders
4-Rafael Marquez (Monaco/Fra), 6-Gerardo Torrado (Sevilla/Spa), 8-Alberto Garcia Aspe (Puebla), 3-Rafael Garcia (Toluca), 14-German Villa (America), 13-Sigifredo Mercado (Atlas), 11-Braulio Luna (Necaxa), 7-Ramon Morales (Guadalajara), 18-Johan Rodriguez (Santos), 19-Gabriel Caballero (Pachuca)

Forwards
21-Jesus Arellano (Monterrey), 10-Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Real Valladolid/Spa) 17-Francisco Palencia (Espanyol/Spa), 9-Jared Borgetti (Santos), 15-Luis Hernandez (America)