The Mexican national team player was named the MVP of the Nations League with four goals
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Mexico won their first Nations League title
El Tri beat Panama 2-1 with a brace from Jiménez
The forward reached 39 goals with the national team
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPWHAT HAPPENED?
Raúl Jiménez was showered with praise after his performance in the CONCACAF Nations League Final, where he scored two goals against Canada in the semifinals and a brace against Panama to lead Mexico to their first title in the history of the competition.
The three-time World Cup player became the first player to score four goals in the finals, surpassing Christian Pulisic's three goals in the 2023 edition.
French football legend and CBS Sports analyst Thierry Henry praised the Fulham player, saying “They have a player who makes the difference, Raúl Jiménez, who I believe was the difference. If you put that player on the Canada team or the United States team, he can help you win tournaments, that’s what he is.”
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
At the end of 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jiménez was carried off the pitch on a stretcher after a collision with David Luiz while playing for Wolverhampton at the Emirates Stadium. The striker suffered a skull fracture that could have ended his career.
After several months of recovery, he returned to the pitch and continued scoring goals. Since coming back from the injury, the Mexican forward has played 118 club matches with Wolverhampton and Fulham, the team he was transferred to for the 2023-24 season. During this period, he has scored a total of 28 goals. For Mexico, he has added 13 goals since recovering from his injury.
Getty Images SportWHAT RAÚL JIMÉNEZ SAID
“It's fantastic to come back after everything I've been through, I'm very happy, and it's a great example that you should never lose faith and keep going. The team's work, when we had to defend, we did it, and when we had to attack, we did it. We changed our mindset, that desire that both we and Vasco have to represent Mexico at home, we have the same motivation," said Jiménez after Mexico's victory.
Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?
With the four goals he scored in the Final Four of the Nations League, Jiménez reached 39 with El Tri, surpassing Cuauhtémoc Blanco (38) as the third-highest scorer in the history of the Mexican national team.
The striker is now chasing Jared Borgetti (46) and Javier Hernández (52), who is the all-time top scorer for the Mexican National Team.
