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Cruz Azul's 10th Title: The Three Heroes Who Ended Decades of Pain
🇲🇽 Mexico /Culture & Society

Cruz Azul's 10th Title: The Three Heroes Who Ended Decades of Pain

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Cruz Azul won their 10th league title in the Clausura 2026 tournament, defeating Pumas 2-1 on aggregate.
  • The victory ended a nearly 24-year title drought for the club, with forward Jonathan Rodríguez being a key player in their Guardianes 2021 win and Rodolfo Rotondi scoring the decisive goal in the recent final.
  • Historically, Cruz Azul has won three short-tournament titles since 1996, with Carlos Hermosillo, Rodríguez, and Rotondi emerging as heroes in each championship.

Cruz Azul clinched their 10th league title, the Clausura 2026 championship, by defeating Pumas 2-1 on aggregate in a hard-fought final. The victory marked the end of a nearly 24-year wait for a league crown, a period often characterized by painful failures rather than the glories of their past.

Since the introduction of short tournaments in 1996, Cruz Azul, known as La Máquina, has only secured three championships: Invierno 1997, Guardianes 2021, and the recent Clausura 2026. Each of these triumphs featured distinct heroes who guided the team to victory.

In 1997, Carlos Hermosillo, Cruz Azul's all-time leading scorer, scored the championship-winning penalty against León. Despite a bloody face from a foul by the opposing goalkeeper, his conversion ended a 17-year title drought for the club. More recently, in the pandemic-affected Guardianes 2021 tournament, Uruguayan forward Jonathan Rodríguez proved instrumental, scoring the decisive goal in a 2-1 win over Santos Laguna to end a 24-year championship drought.

The most recent hero is Argentine Rodolfo Rotondi. His stunning strike in the 94th minute against Pumas secured the Clausura 2026 title. Rotondi, who had faced criticism in previous tournaments, redeemed himself with this crucial goal, embodying the idea that football offers second chances. This victory added the coveted 10th star to Cruz Azul's crest, with a global aggregate score of 2-1.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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