Blanco is a legend at Club America, having played there from 1992-2007. He'll play his last ever game for them, too.

MEXICO CITY -- The last time Cuauhtemoc Blanco went to Coapa to train at Club America's training grounds, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez wasn't yet a first team starter at Chivas, Giovani dos Santos was getting his first minutes in FC Barcelona's first team and Andres Guardado was starting his European journey at Deportivo de la Coruna. Nine years later, Blanco is 24 hours away from playing his last game at Estadio Azteca when America hosts Morelia in Week 9 of Liga MX's 2016 Clausura.

Times are different. For one, he's 43 years old and in the past few months, he's acted as mayor of the city of Cuernavaca in the Mexican state of Morelos. On Thursday morning, "Cuau" arrived in a giant white SUV, escorted by two military vehicles with heavily armed soldiers.

Back when he was just known for being one of Mexico's greatest No. 10s, he would arrive in an eye-catching sports car without soldiers watching his back. But even though he's been away from the football fields since his last football game on April 21, 2015 -- a Copa MX final in which Puebla FC, Cuau's last team, defeated Chivas 4-2 -- he continues to respond to the calling of being the player of the people.

Blanco is the player of the people because he was brought up in a tough Mexico City barrio like Tepito and still managed to make a name for himself at a powerful club like America and in Mexico's senior national team. He scored 125 goals for Los Azulcremas in Liga MX games and 39 goals for El Tri. Blanco understands that role and takes a lot of pride in it and on Thursday afternoon after training with Las Aguilas, he spent 20 minutes with the fans, signing autographs and taking selfies.

The return of "Temo" to America comes at a time when los americanistas are split in half. There are those who continue to support Ignacio "Nacho" Ambriz as America head coach and there are those who have showed their frustration in recent weeks, especially after the team picked up two draws, a loss and four red cards in its last three Liga MX showings. For some fans, patience is running out and they see Ambriz as a coach who hasn't been able to live up to the expectations.

After the 3-1 win over the Seattle Sounders in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday night, Ambriz expressed his opinion about Blanco's presence in the league game vs. Morelia. "It's a source of a lot of pride [to coach Blanco]. I have also had the opportunity to coach other important players, and now I have the chance to coach Cuauhtemoc.

"It's something that had been in the works [to include Blanco in an official game], and I have heard that it was the club that imposed this plan and I had to accept, but it's not true."

For the game against Morelia, Ambriz will need to find a way to accommodate Blanco on the pitch. In the 30 minutes Blanco is scheduled to play, wearing the No. 100 jersey in honor of the club's centennial celebrations, "Cuau" will likely hold one of America's forward positions. He will occupy the area between the midfielders and the main striker, who will likely be Oribe Peralta. In the season's early stages Peralta has scored four goals in the 2016 Clausura and two goals in CCL play; he's Las Aguilas' in-form forward. Blanco has been out of soccer for a while given his role as mayor of Cuernavaca, but he has 30 minutes left this weekend.

In defensive midfield, Ambriz will likely select Osvaldo Martinez and Daniel "Chepe" Guerrero. William da Silva, who had become an immovable player in America's XI, will miss the next three games because he insulted referee Jorge Isaac Rojas in last weekend's Tigres-America match.

"I see the team doing well. On Saturday I will have to calm the teammates down so they don't get red-carded," Blanco smirked as he responded to reporters' questions after Thursday's training session. "They need to keep a cool head because if they get red-carded, they'll lose points."

Blanco possesses coaching qualities he probably doesn't know he has. At a team like America where the pressure is always high, it's important to have a leader who's vocal and direct with his sentiments. Currently that leadership figure is nowhere to be found, but the sudden and brief apparition of Blanco could potentially inject the team with needed confidence to confront the rest of the season.

If Blanco has something to say, he will be carefully listened to at Coapa; his words and orders count because he represents a lot for the club. At 43, Blanco shouldn't be sitting in a mayor's office -- he should be at Coapa preparing the next generation of great footballers in America's academy.

"Cuau" will be remembered as the Mexican footballer who received the most tributes while he was still alive. He's the most decorated and loved Mexican footballer because he always tried to respond to the fans' demands. After Saturday's game against Morelia, Blanco will officially retire and will do so like he once dreamed: playing for Las Aguilas at Estadio Azteca.

Nayib Moran covers Liga MX and the Mexican national team for ESPN FC. Twitter: @nayibmoran.