Julian Quinones has emerged as one of the most compelling stories of the 2026 World Cup, despite being born in Colombia rather than Mexico.
The forward will look to haunt England when the two sides meet in their last-16 tie at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, kicking off at 01:00 BST on Monday morning.
England supporters will naturally focus their attention on Wolves striker Raul Jimenez, Mexico’s number nine with strong Premier League ties from his time at Fulham.
However, it is Quinones on the left wing who has truly caught the eye, and whoever plays right-back for England faces a significant test in the high altitude of the Mexican capital.
The 29-year-old has scored three times at the tournament already, netting against South Africa, the Czech Republic, and Ecuador in the last round of 32.
Quinones was born in Magui Payan, a small village in southern Colombia close to the Ecuadorian border, and grew up in difficult circumstances with limited support around him.
“It’s a very far away, forgotten village,” he said in a recent interview, reflecting on his humble origins and the journey that followed.
“Knowing I could overcome everything, even with all the difficulties and the lack of support, motivates me even more to keep on fighting, doing my best with every ball I get and in every match. I also do it for my family.”
At just 17 years old, he left his amateur side Futbol Paz to join Mexican club Tigres, beginning a deep and lasting connection with the country that would eventually become his home.
“I was young and I hesitated when thinking about leaving my country, in order to pursue new goals and paths,” he admitted, describing the formative decision that shaped his entire career.
He went on to spend eight years across Mexican football with Tigres, Atlas, and Club America, plus three loan spells, scoring over 70 goals in the top flight during that period.
Despite representing Colombia at youth level in 2017 and 2018, no senior call-up ever arrived from his homeland, and by 2023 he was eligible for Mexico through naturalisation.
“Mexico made me a great person. 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. I learned a lot from that,” he said.
He won six league titles during his time in Mexico, collecting two apiece with each of his permanent clubs in a league that crowns two champions per season.
Less than a year after earning his first Mexico cap, Quinones moved to newly promoted Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah in a deal worth roughly £12m, and has since scored 62 goals in 68 appearances across all competitions.
Last season he claimed the Saudi Pro League golden boot with 33 goals, finishing one above England’s Ivan Toney and four clear of Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo, despite Brendan Rodgers’ side only finishing fourth in the table.
He opened this World Cup by drilling the ball through South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams’ legs just nine minutes into the tournament, also hitting the woodwork in the 2-0 win.
A close-range finish followed in Mexico’s 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic, before he ran onto a long ball down the left to fire in the opener in the 2-0 win over Ecuador in the previous round.
With three goals and one assist across four matches, no Mexican player has been involved in more goals in a single World Cup edition since at least 1966, with Luis Hernandez’s four goals in 1998 representing the joint record.
Named man of the match against both South Africa and Ecuador, Quinones heads into the England tie brimming with form and confidence, declaring: “I’m confident we’ll get far. Our team is complete and competitive. We know what our goal is and we believe we can do it.”
