Julián Quiñones

Julián Quiñones gave Mexico the perfect start to their home World Cup — and his journey to that moment is one of the more remarkable stories of the entire tournament.

Julián Andrés Quiñones grew up in Magüí Payán, in a region of Colombia known for armed conflict between guerrillas and the government, starting out playing soccer barefoot and without his parents' permission. He arrived in Mexico in the summer of 2015 as an 18-year-old, signing with Liga MX giants Tigres before later moving to Atlas and then Club América, winning six Liga MX titles across three different clubs by 2024.

In May 2023, Quiñones turned down a call-up to the Colombia national team, saying everything he has he owes to Mexico. He completed his naturalization process in October 2023 and made his Mexico debut against Honduras that November. In 2024, he moved to Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah, where his scoring form — including a hat-trick that helped him finish the 2025-26 season as the Saudi Pro League's top scorer with 33 goals — kept him firmly in the international picture.

Then came the moment that defined his World Cup. Just nine minutes into the opening match of the tournament, Quiñones scored for Mexico against South Africa — the fastest World Cup goal in Mexican history, surpassing a 22nd-minute strike from 1986. He was named Man of the Match and received a standing ovation from the Estadio Azteca crowd when substituted in the 79th minute.

The performance sent his profile soaring — Quiñones gained nearly 380,000 new Instagram followers, a rise of almost 39%, as El Tri fans who can be hesitant to embrace naturalized players fully took the Colombian-born striker to their hearts. With Mexico already through to the knockout rounds, Quiñones' fairytale World Cup story is far from over.