Read for 5 minutesUpdated: 1 July 2026 12:50 PM IST
The ecstatic Aztec crowd chanted “Quinones, Quinones…” and showered their new object of affection, Julián Quinones, with beer and cardboard sombreros. After putting Mexico in front before the second set in Ecuador’s rout, the forward, basking in the adulation, told them to turn up the volume. The chant must have rung in his ears, as two years ago, the Mexican city of Guadalajara also chanted his name, but prefixed with racial slurs.
He is Colombian by birth, his parents are of Afro-Colombian descent. He became a naturalized Mexican citizen in 2023. But the past stuck like an invisible sword. He knows he has to prove he’s Mexican every time he takes the field; He knows that when he fails he will be judged by his race and origin. So, he just makes sure that he gives them very little chance to dig up his past. He scored his first World Cup goal, a devilish strike against South Africa; In a 16-16 draw against Ecuador’s stout defenders, he scored a goal that combined blinding speed, technical precision and wild beauty.
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Jesus Gallardo snatched the ball away from Ecuador as he wandered down the left. Quinones, sensing the pass, took off, ensured he beat the off-side trap, collected the ball, cut inside the box, dummied Alan Franco on the right and threw the kitchen sink at the ball. He intentionally gave no spin, so that the turnovers would take the ball to the crossbar. He chose pure power and precision. Immediately, he kisses the badge and shows the world how much he loves it. “Representing my country is the most important thing and I give everything in training to make that happen,” he once said.
Had to wait for a slick piece of work. Ten minutes later, Raul Jimenez latched on to Joel Ordonez’s scuff clearance and passed to Quinones. Franco came at him again. He paused, let him catch his leg, and nonchalantly tossed the ball into Jimenez’s path. The striker didn’t flinch and immediately got up from the floor after the celebration and kissed the assistant. At 29, the elusive Colombian-born forward was fueling Mexico’s dreams. He not only contributes with goals but also brings struggle and energy. For him, goals are secondary, winning the ball is primary, he said after the South Africa match.
Mexico’s Julian Quinones (16) scored his first goal in Ecuador against Mexico City. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Saudi connection
The Saudi-League tragedy, however, will not be entirely shocking. Playing for Al Qadsia last season. He surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo and Ivan Toni on the goalscoring charts (33 goals in addition to four assists). He also scored 25 goals in his first season. But he would politely tell a Saudi league interviewer: “I’m nobody to compete with him. Just tell me how many fans I have?”
His performance in the World Cup will increase his fan base. Childhood coach Cesar Valencia already has one. “It’s not easy to know where he came from and how far he’s come. It’s not easy. The number of obstacles he’s had, the number of problems he’s faced. And he’s always held his head high, always given 120%,” he told ESPN Mexico.
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He grew up in Magui Payne, Colombia, south of the notorious Telembi Triangle – a region plagued by violence and armed conflict. A guerrilla group almost forced him to join them. His father left the family when he was young. Football was his escape. His mother, who worked in a shop, could not afford football boots. So his childhood was spent playing football barefoot. “It helped him because he developed incredibly strong ankles. It gave him balance and power in his movements,” reflected Valencia. In the end, Valencia saved himself and brought him a pair.
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In 2014, he participated in a trial for Academy Football Paz, which scouts talented players in Colombia. He cleared that and two years later, he caught the attention of Mexican club Tigres UANL and moved to Mexico, where he consistently topped the scoring charts. But he could not hide the color of the skin of a country that has no race and declares that it welcomes all castes. He chose to suffer in silence; He has distanced himself from social media and quietly drifted off to the shores of Saudi money. But his loyalty to Mexico never wavered and when manager Javier “El Vasco” Aguirre called him up to the national team, he had no second thoughts.
Valencia called him a lion, “because he always attacked the goal”, although his teammates called him a panther. In Azteca, he roared like a lion and continued to prove his loyalty to his adopted country by deeds. And how musical it must have been for him to hear the audience chanting his name during a festive night with firecrackers and paloma without ethnic prefixes.