From near death to World Cup hero - Jimenez's tears for Mexico

It was a moment Raul Jimenez had been waiting for all his life - and it seemed impossible just a few years ago. The Mexican forward almost lost his life on the football field in November 2020 due to a horrific head injury that led to a fractured skull. Now, less than six years later, the 35-year-old was overcome with emotion as he scored a header to give Mexico a 2-0 victory over South Africa at the famous Azteca Stadium in the first match of the 2026 World Cup.

Jimenez, who headed the ball after a Roberto Alvarado cross, jumped high, celebrated wildly and pointed to the sky - apparently in tribute to his father Raul Jimenez Vega, who died in March. While the majority of the 80,000 fans went wild, Mexico's players surrounded the Wolverhampton Wanderers striker as the achievement sank in and Jimenez burst into tears. "We really congratulated him because he means a lot to the team," said Julian Quinones, who scored the opening goal of the competition in the ninth minute.

Jimenez's goal was his 46th for Mexico in his 125th international match, which puts him joint second on the list of Mexico's top scorers, behind Javier Hernandez with 52 goals. Even at kick-off, Jimenez was making history. He had previously made six appearances as a substitute in World Cup finals - once in 2014, twice in 2018 and three times in 2022. But in his first World Cup start he made an almost immediate impact, with a powerful half-volley beautifully saved by South Africa's Ronwen Williams in the fourth minute.

Jimenez, who confirmed his transfer from Fulham to his former club Wolverhampton earlier this week, sealed the victory in the 67th minute to ensure fellow hosts Mexico made a winning start. Former England defender Gary Neville said on ITV: "This will probably be the biggest moment of his life from a football perspective, scoring in front of 80,000 people in that stadium, in his home country. It's a great moment for him." Ex-England striker Ian Wright added: "It was very emotional for Raul Jimenez. If it had happened to me I would probably feel the same way. The special thing is you see the realization when he scores the goal, that's where the emotion comes from."


After spells at Mexican club America, Atletico Madrid and Benfica, he had a loan spell at Wolves in 2018-19, where he scored 13 Premier League goals and led his team to seventh place, earning European qualification. This led to Wolves buying him for a then club record £30 million, with Jimenez scoring a further 17 goals in the league in 2019-20. But his life changed on November 29, 2020. A horrific and accidental collision with Arsenal defender David Luiz left Jimenez unconscious. In the minutes that followed, his teammates, the manager and his family watched, concerned whether he was still alive, as he was given oxygen on the pitch.

The recovery was slow. He was banned from training with other players for six months and did not play for Wolves for eight months before scoring his first goal since the injury, scoring the winning goal in a 1–0 win overSouthampton in September 2021. He moved to Fulham in 2023 and had three seasons there before confirming his return to Molineux earlier this week. Edu Rubio, Wolves' assistant coach in 2022-23 who now works as an assistant head coach at Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer, was happy to see Jimenez score his first goal in a World Cup. "It would have meant the world to him," Rubio told BBC Sport. "He is very proud to play for his country and loves his country. He wears the number nine, his country is hosting this World Cup, so all the elements were there. It's the first match, a big crowd, so this would be a dream come true for him and his family."

Rubio, who also worked as an assistant coach at Crystal Palace and West Ham, said Jimenez fully deserved such a moment after everything he has been through. “After his head injury, it took some time to get back into his career,” Rubio said. "There were not only medical concerns but also the question of whether he would be the same killer in front of goal again. His commitment is enormous, he is a great guy, his family is wonderful and very supportive and that has helped him. He is a very family person. He is a great player but never behaves like one and is very modest. I am so happy for him. It was a life-threatening injury and I was scared for him. At that time he was doing so well, he was at the peak of his career and it was very difficult."

But Jimenez's determination has led to 68 Premier League goals in 233 appearances. Even now, he still has to wear a reinforced headband to protect himself from further injury. “If you know him, you can see why he's gotten back on the field [after the injury] and getting back into his form,” Rubio added. "He's a fighter. I worked with him in his last year at Wolves. There were doubts, even within himself, whether he could reach the level again, and that last year at Wolves was a challenging year for him. But there were no doubts for me, I always knew he could do it again. I've worked with a lot of top professionals and you can see he has the resilience and a beautiful family to support him. Everyone there [at Wolves] loved him, the whole club wanted him to do well and the whole club was involved in his return, so it was very emotional, not only because of his career, but also because he is such a lovely character. He was so committed to the club, the city and his family felt at home there, which is why I think they will be happy to return there. But before Jimenez returns to the West Midlands, he has further chances to score more World Cup goals in his home country, with Mexico already in a strong position to progress to the knockout stages.