Julián Quiñones scored for Mexico in a 2-0 win over Ecuador, moving to three goals at the tournament and drawing comparisons to Mexico’s all-time World Cup marks. His path—arriving from Colombia as a teenager, building a career through multiple Liga MX titles,
For the third time in this World Cup, Julián Quiñones found the moment where Mexico needed a finisher. In a 2-0 win over Ecuador on Tuesday night, he scored again—and the number on the scoreboard kept tightening the story around him.
His goal was his third of the tournament, placing him level all-time with Mexico legends Rafa Marquez and Cuauhtemoc Blanco in World Cup scoring. It also pulled him within one goal of tying Chicharito and Luis “El Matador” Hernandez, who each scored four.
Mexico’s surge didn’t stop at the first exchange of passes. Quiñones also assisted Raúl Jiménez on the second goal. helping cap a start described as blistering—one that overwhelmed an Ecuador defense that appeared stunned by how El Tri was connecting on the ball. Several of those sequences ended with the attacker either bursting forward or threatening from combinations built around his movement.
After the match, Quiñones framed his run in a personal language that reached beyond soccer. “There are people who go to the United States to look for a better life, and that should be applauded. That’s sacrifice,” he said Tuesday night after scoring. “Just like I did. there are people who are doing the same. little by little. and you have (to) value that. They should never feel less than for looking for the best for their family, the best for them. No one should tell them they can’t do it.”.
Those words land with extra weight because Quiñones’ journey doesn’t follow the most common script—at least not in reverse. He is a proud immigrant from Colombia who arrived in Mexico as a teenager to play in Tigres’ youth system and stayed for nearly a decade. Where many stories out of Mexico trace the pull of “el gabacho” to work and money sent back home. his story is different: Mexico became the destination that let him support his family and reach his goals.
He wasn’t always a certainty for El Tri, either. Quiñones is a striker who has had to fight for recognition through choice and timing. When he was at the youth stage for Colombia, he played at the U-20 level but opted against accepting a senior Colombia call, leaving the door open for Mexico.
He also described how Mexico won him over in a more intimate way—through life, love, and belonging. He had fallen in love with Mexico and with a Mexican: his wife Ana Gabriela. He felt he would be more respected wearing the green of El Tri than the yellow of the Cafeteros.
Respect, for him, has come with trophies and consistency. He earned it by winning Liga MX titles with three different clubs. First, he won with Tigres. Then he became a star figure in Atlas’ back-to-back title run. After that, he joined Club América and won consecutive titles again.
Later. Quiñones went to Saudi Arabia. a move that seemed to place him out of the conversation for Mexico manager Javier Aguirre. Aguirre once quipped, “Nobody watches the Saudi league. Nobody.” Even so. Quiñones’ scoring form—including beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Ivan Toney to the golden boot title—made him too productive to ignore.
Still, the fit wasn’t immediate. Aguirre wondered openly if he needed to play the 29-year-old through the middle, with Quiñones having played centrally with Al-Qadsiah. Instead, Quiñones returned to the wide position he played earlier in his career and where he often excelled with Mexico.
In that role, he has combined well with center forward Raúl Jiménez, and Mexico has gained an attacking dimension it had lacked. His wing partnership also includes Roberto “Piojo” Alvarado, who has been able to deliver pinpoint passes like the one that freed Quiñones for the opener Tuesday night.
The reception from fans has been loud. Some have put his face on the 500 peso bill, and after Mexico’s first knockout round win in 40 years, many have been singing his name.
But the applause has not erased the friction he’s faced. Quiñones is a Black man born outside of Mexico. and criticism of him at times crossed the line of what other Mexican players encounter in a culture that can be harsh—and where club loyalties run deep. Even with that history, he insisted he isn’t trying to silence anyone.
“I’m not shutting anybody up. If I didn’t say anything when they criticized me, I’m even less likely to say something right now,” he said. “I think in the happy moments is when you think about this the least. What I think about is enjoying, and I’m always going to do that.”
The next test is already set. Now. Quiñones will look to help push Mexico at least one step further. with a match at Estadio Azteca against the winner of England’s showdown with the DR Congo. Speaking about the team’s chances. he said he is confident in Mexico’s strengths to match its best-ever World Cup performance by reaching a quarterfinal.
“Work, union, the family we have. We know what we’re playing for. We don’t want our family, our fans to be disappointed, all the Mexicans who always have supported us,” he said. “Today we came out to play for everything and that’s how we play every game.”
There’s a pattern to how Quiñones handles attention: effort first, words last. Plenty of players talk about how much work they put into a game, but Quiñones rarely speaks to the press, except Tuesday when he was mandated to as the official Man of the Match.
Even in a social media clip that asked for basics—what he likes to eat. where he’s from. what “Nationality?” means to him—the final detail stayed the anchor of his identity. In the introductory video. he said “Mexican.” For the teammates. the El Tri coaching staff. and the fans watching a kid from Colombia write Mexican soccer history. that single word has become more than a label. It’s the clearest statement yet of what his run has been about all along: earning a place. then proving it with goals.