Saudi golden boot winner Quinones targets England's right-back
England’s unresolved right-back position faces a severe test in Monday’s World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico from Julian Quinones, a naturalised forward whose £12m transfer to the Saudi Pro League yielded a golden boot over Cristiano Ronaldo.
England will play Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in a World Cup last-16 tie broadcast live on BBC One. While English supporters are familiar with Wolves and Fulham striker Raul Jimenez, the primary threat on Monday comes from the left wing. Julian Quinones has scored three times in four games in Mexico City, exploiting the high altitude and opposition defensive frailties.
Quinones's trajectory highlights the continuing financial pull of the Saudi league. Less than a year after becoming a Mexico international, he joined newly promoted Al-Qadsiah for roughly £12m. The investment has paid immediate dividends, with the 29-year-old scoring 62 goals in 68 games across all competitions. Last season, he claimed the Saudi Pro League golden boot with 33 goals, finishing one ahead of England’s Ivan Toney and four clear of Cristiano Ronaldo despite Al-Qadsiah only placing fourth.
That scoring form has transferred directly to the World Cup. Quinones scored the tournament's opening goal against South Africa, added another against the Czech Republic, and netted the opener in the last-32 victory over Ecuador. With three goals and one assist, no Mexican player has been involved in more goals at a single World Cup since Luis Hernandez in 1998. He was named man of the match in both the South Africa and Ecuador games.
His path to this stage is unconventional. Born in Magui Payan, a village in southern Colombia near the Ecuadorian border, he left his amateur team Futbol Paz at 17 to join Mexican side Tigres. "I was young and I hesitated when thinking about leaving my country, in order to pursue new goals and paths," he said. He spent eight years in Mexico, playing for Tigres, Atlas, and Club America, winning six league titles.
Despite scoring over 70 goals in the Mexican top flight and representing Colombia at youth level in 2017 and 2018, Quinones received no senior call-up from his homeland. When Colombia finally called in 2023, he was eligible for Mexico through naturalisation and chose his adopted nation. "I found a very generous country," he said. "Mexico made me a great person."
Mexico now rely on him to break down an English defence that has struggled to settle its right flank. "Our team is complete and competitive," Quinones said. "We know what our goal is and we believe we can do it."
