Mexico winger Julian Quinones targets England in World Cup last-16
Mexico forward Julian Quinones is hoping to continue his remarkable goalscoring form against England in their World Cup last-16 tie at the Azteca Stadium on Monday.
The 29-year-old left winger has already scored three times during the tournament and will look to exploit England’s heavily debated right-back position in the challenging altitude of Mexico City.
While Three Lions supporters will be intimately familiar with former Wolves and Fulham striker Raul Jimenez, the threat posed on the opposite flank cannot be underestimated.
Unorthodox journey from Colombia to El Tri
Born in Magui Payan in southern Colombia near the Ecuadorian border, the prolific attacker grew up in poverty before leaving his amateur team Futbol Paz at the age of 17.
He moved across the continent to join Tigres, embarking on a domestic career that yielded six league titles and more than 70 top-flight goals for three different clubs.
Having represented his birth nation at youth level in 2017 and 2018, the forward eventually naturalised to play for Mexico in 2023 after being continuously overlooked by the Colombian senior setup.
“Mexico made me a great person,” he explained in a recent interview.
“I didn’t have great references from Colombia, because I was not very wise back then, but Mexico welcomed me with arms wide open, knowing one has good and bad moments in life.”
Golden boot success in Saudi Arabia
Less than a year after his international debut, the newly-minted Mexican citizen secured a £12m transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah.
The dynamic wide man enjoyed a sensational debut campaign in the Middle East, capturing the golden boot and outscoring global superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo.
He has seamlessly transferred that lethal club form to the biggest international stage, finding the net against South Africa, the Czech Republic and Ecuador during the group stages.
The highly anticipated knockout tie kicks off at 01:00 BST and will be broadcast live on BBC One.