Cuauhtemoc Blanco is tired of the David Beckham questions.
Blanco has been answering them non-stop ever since signing with the Fire in April. But that’s to be expected, considering Blanco and Beckham are Major League Soccer’s two highest-paid and best-known players.
The two could meet for the first time when Blanco’s Fire faces Beckham’s Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday at Toyota Park. Beckham has not played for the Galaxy since Aug. 23 because of an ankle injury, but he returned to training last week. His status for Sunday’s game is unknown.
With a potential showdown looming, here is a closer look at MLS’ two biggest stars.
MLS stats
Blanco: 4 goals, 6 assists.
Beckham: 0 goals, 2 assists.
Edge: Blanco. He has played half a season and already leads the Fire in assists.
MLS record
Blanco: 5-2-6 (Fire is 4-8-4 without Blanco).
Beckham: 0-3 (Galaxy is 9-10-6 without Beckham).
Edge: Blanco. Thanks to his play, the Fire is in position to make the playoffs.
Annual salary
Blanco: $2.67 million.
Beckham: $6.5 million.
Edge: Blanco. More bang for your buck.
Resume
Blanco: Two-time Gold Cup winner with Mexican national team; two-time Mexican league MVP; won Mexican league title with Club America; named top Latino athlete in U.S. by ESPN Deportes La Revista.
Beckham: Two-time FIFA World Player of the Year runner-up; former England national team captain; won Champions League title and six Premier League titles with Manchester United and a La Liga title with Real Madrid; world’s most marketable soccer player until last year, when passed by Ronaldinho, according to a German consulting firm.
Edge: Beckham. Finishing second in world player of the year voting is nothing to sneeze at.
Signature play
Blanco: The “Cuauhtemina” (also known as the “Blanco Bounce”), which involves Blanco tucking the ball between his ankles and bouncing past an oncoming defender.
Beckham: The bending free kicks, which are so famous they had a movie named after them (“Bend It Like Beckham”).
Edge: Beckham. A curving free kick goal beats fancy dribbling almost any day.
Controversy
Blanco: “Honestly, I think he trips himself sometimes,” said Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad.
Beckham: “You would think they would show the highlights of the game, but the highlights were when Beckham warmed up, when he went in, a free kick,” said D.C. United defender Bobby Boswell of ESPN’s Beckham coverage. “I watched Chelsea when they played L.A. … I don’t care about him taking his shoe off.”
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Edge: Beckham. Blame ESPN, not Beckham.
Free time
Blanco: “I eat and sleep,” Blanco said. Was the grand marshal of city’s Mexican Independence Day parade.
Beckham: After making his Galaxy debut, Beckham attended a party thrown in his honor by Tom Cruise and Will Smith.
Edge: Beckham. Hanging with “Maverick” and the “Fresh Prince” sounds like a lot more fun than just eating and sleeping.
Celeb onlookers
Blanco: Jim Belushi.
Beckham: Katie Holmes, Eva Longoria, Mary-Kate Olsen, Alicia Silverstone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Drew Carey.
Edge: Beckham. No contest.
Teammates’ thoughts
Blanco: “We were nervous to talk to him before — he’s big-time,” Fire defender C.J. Brown said. “By him doing [pranks] … he’s one of us. We can joke with him.”
Beckham: “I know it seems almost silly to keep talking about him because he’s only one player, but he makes a big difference in there,” Galaxy forward Landon Donovan said.
Edge: Blanco. He’s just as likely to give his teammates an assist as he is a wedgie.
Famous YouTube clip
Blanco: During a children’s benefit, Blanco performed a salsa routine that included his dance partner sliding under his legs.
Beckham: During a Comic Relief fundraiser, Bechkam was interviewed by comedian Ali G, who made fun of his voice, style and wife Victoria.
Edge: Beckham. The Ali G clip will have you laughing so hard your stomach will hurt.
Significant other
Blanco: Mexican soap-opera actress Galilea Montijo, who rose to fame after winning a reality show called “La Chica TV.”
Beckham: The fashion-obsessed Victoria Beckham, who once ruled the music charts as a Spice Girl.
Edge: Push. There’s a reason each is envied, and its not just their play on the field.
Average crowd for their MLS games
Blanco: 19,374.
Beckham: 46,641.
Edge: Beckham . Even if some fans at Beckham’s games couldn’t name any other player on the field.
Your winner?
Blanco. While Beckham sits in the team suite during games nursing his ankle, “Mr. White” is leading his team to (mostly) victories and winning over his biggest critics. As one fan’s sign said at Blanco’s pep rally in April, “Who needs Beckham when you have Blanco?”
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