Raúl Jiménez is now the hero of Mexico after a fractured skull and death of his father: ‘A perfect day for him’ | Sport

Not former Feyenoord crowd favorite Santiago Giménez (now AC Milan), but Raúl Jiménez, ten years his senior, is Mexico’s first striker at the World Cup. The 35-year-old striker immediately demonstrated that confidence in the opening match. After a serious skull fracture in 2020 and the recent loss of his father, all emotions came out after his goal.

Mexican talent Gilberto Mora (17), the youngest player at this World Cup, immediately ran to the 18-year-old Mexico striker after the 2-0 in the 67th minute. He soon let Raúl Jiménez take his own moment. The striker who has been making waves in the Premier League for years, could now cheer after his first ever World Cup goal, also in front of 85,000 delirious Mexicans.

Raúl Jiménez would have loved for his father to have been there at the iconic Estadio Azteca, but he passed away last March. Mexican national coach Javier Aguirre (67) was overjoyed for Jiménez. “I read an interview in which he said that this should be his World Cup. I think he made a great start. He was always in the shadow of others, but now he is a basic force for this team and he really deserved it. It was the perfect day for him. I am sure the death of his father gave him extra strength and motivation.”

His first goal at a World Cup was clearly a moment Jiménez had been waiting for all his life. A moment that seemed impossible just a few years ago. The Mexican striker could have died on the pitch on November 29, 2020 when he suffered a fractured skull after a hard head collision with Arsenal defender David Luiz.

Jiménez has no memory of that night, but his teammates on the field and family members in front of the television watched in fear as he lay unconscious on the field. His then coach Nuno Espírito Santo talks about it in tears in the documentary ‘Code Red’, which was made about the anxious minutes on the field and the rehabilitation that followed. “There are things you can never forget. Especially the sound of that blow I will never forget,” Nuno said about the match that was played in an empty stadium. Jiménez had to undergo emergency surgery in a hospital in London, where he had to stay for ten days.

He then had to recuperate on his own for six months and then carefully train with the group for another three months before he could make his return. Nearly six years after that collision, he still plays with a protective headband at the site of the fracture. Jiménez played for Fulham for the past three years (31 goals in 115 matches), but now returns to Wolverhampton Wanderers on a free transfer, which has been relegated to the Championship.

“We are very happy for him, because he is of enormous value to the team,” said Julián Quiñones, who scored the opening goal of the World Cup in the ninth minute. “Being part of this team makes us proud and it is fantastic that he continues to score for our national team.”

Jiménez’s goal was his 46th for his country in his 125th international match, which puts him joint second with Jared Borgetti on the list of Mexico’s top scorers, behind Javier Hernández with 52 goals. Jiménez had already played as a substitute at the World Cup six times (once in 2014, twice in 2018 and three times in 2022), but in his first start at a World Cup he could make his 135 million compatriots cheer.

Mexico can now prepare for the second group match, Friday (3 a.m.) against South Korea in Guadalajara. The Czech Republic will then wait in the Estadio Azteca, where Mexico can also play in the sixteenth finals if they become group winners.