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At the 2026 World Cup, Julián Quiñones made history for Mexico.
The country, which was one of the tournament’s three hosts, was already well acquainted with the striker – not only because of his previous appearances for the national team, after switching allegiance from his native Colombia to Mexico in 2023, but also due to his time playing in the Mexican league.
Between 2015 and 2024, Quiñones became one of the most recognisable faces in Liga MX, playing for five different clubs.
Julián Quiñones’ career in Mexican football:
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2015–16: Tigres UANL (youth team)
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2016–21: Tigres UANL
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2016: Venados (on loan)
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2017–18: Lobos BUAP (on loan)
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2021: Atlas (on loan)
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2022–23: Atlas
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2023–24: Club América
In total, he played 258 matches for these clubs and scored 94 goals. During his time in the league, he also won nine titles.
Julián Quiñones’ titles in Mexican football:
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Liga MX, Apertura 2016 (with Tigres UANL)
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Liga MX, Clausura 2019 (with Tigres UANL)
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CONCACAF Champions League (with Tigres UANL)
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Liga MX, Apertura 2021 (with Atlas)
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Liga MX, Clausura 2022 (with Atlas)
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Campeón de Campeones 2022 (with Atlas)
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Liga MX, Apertura 2023 (with Club América)
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Liga MX, Clausura 2024 (with Club América)
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Campeón de Campeones 2024 (with Club América)
It is worth noting that the two consecutive league titles with Atlas brought an end to the club’s famous 70-year title drought.
As a result, Quiñones was already highly respected by many Mexican fans for his performances in the country’s football.
In 2026, however, he raised his status even further by becoming the leading figure in Mexico’s World Cup campaign.
The tournament’s opening match, between Mexico and South Africa, took place on 11 June. Mexico won 2–0, and the first goal, scored nine minutes into the first half, was netted by Quiñones – making him the first player from a CONCACAF national team to score the opening goal of a World Cup.
It was the fastest goal scored in a World Cup match since fellow Mexican Rafael Márquez scored against Argentina in 2006, after just five minutes.
Quiñones went on to score three more goals and provide one assist during the tournament, whilst Mexico reached the round of 16 before being knocked out by England, who went on to win the bronze medal.
These figures make him the first Mexican player to be directly involved in five or more goals at a single World Cup.
He now also tops the list as one of the three Mexican players with the most goals scored at World Cups, alongside Luis Hernández (1998) and Javier Hernández (2010, 2014 and 2018).
Mexico’s top World Cup goalscorers:
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Luis Hernández / Javier Hernández / Julián Quiñones – 4 goals
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Cuauhtémoc Blanco / Rafael Márquez / Raúl Jiménez – 3 goals
This achievement earned him his first nomination for the ‘Ballon d’Or’ – making him only the second Mexican in history to receive this honour, after the legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa in 2007.
Quiñones hopes to maintain his excellent form for the national team in the coming years, as well as achieving even more success at club level with Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia.
His previous performances for the club, however, will be difficult to surpass.
In the 2025–26 season, after all, he finished as the Saudi Pro League’s top scorer, overtaking Ivan Toney in the final round of the competition and also finishing ahead of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Top scorers in the Saudi Pro League in 2025–26:
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Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah) – 33 goals
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Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli) – 32 goals
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Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr) – 28 goals
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Roger Martínez (Al-Taawoun) – 23 goals
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João Félix (Al-Nassr) / Joshua King (Al-Khaleej) – 20 goals
What else might he achieve from here on?
Football fans around the world are eager to find out.
