Salvador Cabañas: one year on

Salvador Cabañas was in the prime of his career and looking forward to the World Cup as Paraguay’s main man alongside Roque Santa Cruz. Then, on January 24, 2010, the striker made the fateful decision to go out with his wife and brother-in-law to an upmarket Mexico City club for the night. Most people know what happened next but in case you don’t: he was shot in the head after an altercation in the bathroom.

One year on from the tragedy and Cabañas, now 30, still has a .22 bullet lodged in his head and will almost certainly never play again. He still suffers from short term memory loss and remembers nothing of the night he was shot.

The messy saga to catch his killer may have come to a conclusion with the arrest of drug-trafficker José Jorge Balderas Garza, known as “el JJ.” Some Mexican media outlets suggest he was caught after his girlfriend, a Colombian model, changed her location to a Mexico City neighborhood on Facebook, leading police to the alleged killer.

Cabañas played for Mexico’s glamour team America and was the pivotal figure in the side. In his time in Mexican football he scored an impressive 125 goals in 218 games and was of the most recognisable faces in the game. In 2007, Cabañas won the prestigious South American Footballer of the Year and in the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup made crucial contributions that propelled Paraguay into the finals.

Suddenly, in the early morning of January 25, 2010 Cabañas’ was left fighting for his life in the prime of his career. Although “JJ” says he didn’t shoot Cabañas, the bathroom attendant says “JJ” rebuked the Paraguayan for his recent lack of goals at which point Cabañas became angry. Balderas then pulled out the pistol that ended Cabañas’ career and very nearly his life.

Vigils were held at the Estadio Azteca and an outpouring of condemnation about the
incident emanated from Mexico and Paraguay, where thousands prayed for his life in the national stadium.

Soon though Cabañas was no longer on the front and back pages and his situation deteriorated. In November, Cabanas’ wife María Alonso Mena told a Paraguayan radio station that she was putting up two cars for sale because the couple, who have young children, were bankrupt. Club America, owned by Mexican television giants Televisa, owed five months wages and a large hospital bill despite the player having a contract until 2012. Only in the last week has a deal reportedly been agreed between America and Cabañas but hasn’t yet been signed. Alonso also sacked the then lawyer and sued him for 2 million dollars for fraud and breach of trust. The lawyer is now in prison.

There could also be a potential problem if Cabañas is required to give evidence in Mexico. Due to tax he owes from 2007-2009, Cabañas faces arrest on entry, according to his wife.

Cabañas maintains that he doesn’t remember anything from the incident and we therefore may never know whether there was more to what happened than an altercation between two drunk men getting way out of hand. With his alleged attacker now behind bars and a financial deal agreed on it appears that, one year on, the saga is finally reaching a conclusion.