There were tears of joy for Raul Jimenez as he finally scored a goal at his fourth World Cup – a lifetime dream that had seemed impossible a few years ago.
A fractured skull and bleed on the brain in a horrific collision while playing for Wolves at Arsenal in November 2020 could have cost the Mexican striker his life.
Fast-forward six years and Jimenez, 35, was being mobbed by his teammates as he capped off a 2-0 win for his country in the World Cup’s opening fixture.
From surviving one of the most sickening injuries to performing on the grandest stage of all – Jimenez, who has now returned to Wolves from Fulham, was a World Cup goalscorer.
The atmosphere generated by 80,000 inside the Estadio Azteca was pulsating for the 2026 curtain-raiser, as Mexico welcomed South Africa in a repeat of the opening game from the 2010 World Cup, a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg.
Mexico had led through Julian Quinones’s ninth-minute strike last Thursday but undoubtedly the moment of the match came in the 67th minute when Jimenez nodded home from close range at the far post to seal a comfortable victory.
After his goal against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca last Thursday, Raul Jimenez shed a tear and looked to the heavens
It was just a few months ago the Mexico striker lost his father – so the goal meant even more
It was his 46th goal in 125 appearances for his country, making him joint second in the Mexico hall of fame behind Javier Hernandez on 52.
But it was more than just a goal. This was Jimenez’s moment with the world watching. The sort of stuff he dreamed about as a kid. After the death of his father in March, this meant even more.
Mexico’s No9 was visibly emotional as he ran off to the corner flag and looked up to the heavens.
Former England defender Gary Neville, speaking on ITV, said: ‘That is likely to be the greatest moment of his life from a football perspective, scoring in front of 80,000 in that stadium, in his home country. It is a great moment for him.’
It seemed incomprehensible when you cast your mind back to that night in north London that put his life in jeopardy.
That Emirates fell silent after a clash of heads between David Luiz and the Mexican talisman just four and a half minutes into the Premier League fixture between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He received extensive care from medical staff of both clubs before being taken off the pitch on a stretcher after almost 10 minutes of treatment.
With an oxygen mask covering his face, many people watching, including his fiancee Daniel Basso, feared the worst for Jimenez.
‘In that moment, unfortunately, my first thought was that he had died,’ Basso said. ‘Normally when players fall and get hurt, they react.
‘It was 45 minutes until I knew he was alive,’ she said. ‘Not until I knew that he was well, or that he would be OK, just alive. Imagine 45 minutes where I had to try to keep myself calm and tell myself it would all be all right.’
It was almost six years ago that Jimenez suffered a life-threatening head injury at Arsenal
The Mexican had clashed heads with David Luiz before spending more than 10 minutes receiving treatment
Jimenez had fractured his skull, a sickening injury for a man who had put everything on the line for the game he adored.
Growing up, Jimenez and friends used stones as goalposts with cars passing by the only interruption as he honed his football skills in the streets of Tepeji del Rio de Ocampo.
After impressing at his boyhood side Club America, he signed for Atletico Madrid in an £8.5million move in the summer of 2014. Yet, under Diego Simeone, the striker felt unsettled and featured just once in the 2014-15 season.
Benfica signed him the following year for £15.8m where he scored 31 goals and won back-to back league titles with the Portuguese giants.
However, it was in England that he found his home, quickly becoming a fan favourite at Molineux after an initial loan from Benfica was made permanent in 2019 – for £33m.
In his debut season at the club, he scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in the Premier League. He was pivotal in guiding Wolves to a seventh-place finish, confirming their return to a European competition for the first time since 1980.
He also scored four times in six games in the FA Cup, including a goal at Wembley in the semi-final between the West Midlands club and Watford.
He featured in nine Europa Legue appearances and was involved in seven goals – a key figure in Wolves’ run to the quarterfinal stage of the competition.
In the following season, he scored four times in 10 Premier League appearances before the game against Arsenal.
In an interview with The Guardian, Jimenez revealed the nauseating reality of his head injury.
‘They told me it was like a miracle to be there,’ the Mexican recalled, with the fractured bone ‘pushing my brain to the inside’.
In July 2021 after eight months of gruelling rehabilitation, he made a sensational return to football.
On the September 14 against Southampton, Jimenez scored his first goal in 336 days to send 3,000 Wolves supporters crazy and show the footballing world that he was back.
Jimenez scored his first goal after recovering from the horrific injury during a game at Southampton
On Friday, he will be looking to make it two-in-two at the World Cup against South Korea
Sadly, though, Jimenez struggled to hit the heights he had hit after his reintroduction to football.
In the 2022-23 campaign he finished 13th with Wolves and scored just three times in 20 league appearances. Jimenez decided to make a move to Fulham, in a deal worth up to £5.5m.
He re-joined Wolves this summer after the expiration of his contract for the Cottagers. The striker’s 31 goals over three seasons in all competitions played a central role in Fulham’s push for European football and sealed his place in Mexico’s 26-man squad for the World Cup.
Now he will be hoping to add to his remarkable story when Mexico play South Korea at Guadalajara Stadium on Friday.
Can YOU master Craig Hope’s World Cup quiz? Test your knowledge HERE.
