Julian Quinones' path to becoming a Mexican hero has been unusual, and not just because he's from Colombia. Quinones hopes to become a legend against England.
The World Cup round of 16 match between Mexico and England takes place from 2:00 AM on Monday, at the iconic "Azteca" stadium.
For England fans, Wolves' Raul Jimenez is well-known. But Quinones, the Saudi Arabian Golden Boot winner last season, has been making waves on the left wing. And he could cause a lot of trouble for the right-back of the England defence, which has been heavily criticised during this World Cup.
The 29-year-old has already scored three goals at the World Cup. He scored against South Africa in the opening match, against the Czech Republic and against Ecuador in the first knockout round match.
Quinones was born in Magui Payan in southern Colombia, not far from the border with Ecuador. He grew up in poverty.
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"It's a very remote and forgotten village," he said.
"The fact that I managed to overcome everything, with all the difficulties and lack of support, motivates me even more to keep fighting, doing my best with every ball I get. I do it for my family too."
At the age of 17, he left amateur team Futbol Paz and joined Mexican team Tigres.
“I was young and hesitant when I thought about moving away from my decision to pursue new goals and paths,” Quinones says.
He would later consider Mexico his country and now has a Mexican wife.
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Quiñones spent eight years in Mexico, at Tigres, Atlas and Club America. He also had three loan spells. In 2017 and 2018, he played for Colombia's youth teams. But he was not considered for the senior team, although he continued to score goals in the Mexican top flight.
By the time he got a call from Colombia in 2023, he was eligible to play for Mexico through naturalization. And he joined Mexico.
"I found a very generous place," says the winger. "People welcome you, help you show up, grow as a person. I liked it, so little by little I started to settle in. I felt welcome. I will always be grateful for those moments. Mexico made me a great person. I didn't have many good references from Colombia, because I wasn't very careful back then. But Mexico welcomed me with open arms, knowing that there are good and bad moments in life. I learned a lot from that," says the young Mexican star.
He won six Mexican league titles, two with the three biggest teams he played for. About a year after becoming a Mexican international, Quinones was transferred for $12 million to the Arab club Al-Qadsiah. The club had just been promoted to the Saudi Arabian top flight. He has scored 62 goals in 68 games in all competitions. And last season he was the top scorer. His 33 goals put him one goal ahead of Ivan Toney and four ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Quinones has continued that form at the World Cup. He has three goals and one assist. No Mexican player has been involved in more goals at the World Cup.
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"I'm convinced we'll go far," he says. "Our team is complete and competitive. We know the goal and we believe we can achieve it."
Regardless of who plays right-back for England, he will face a real challenge.
