Mexico’s journey at the recent World Cup was one of the stories of the entire tournament. El Tri raised the curtain on the six-week extravaganza with a dominant 2-0 win against South Africa in a repeat of the 2010 opener when Bafana Bafana were the host nation. Wins against South Korea and the Czech Republic would follow, ensuring that Javier Aguirre’s men progressed from Group A as group winners with a perfect 100% record and zero goals conceded.
From there, Mexico handily dispatched the much-fancied
Ecuador in Mexico City before then running into a resolute England side that would eventually grind out a thrilling 3-2 win in arguably the game of the tournament. But seeing how much those Three Lions players and fans celebrated their win in the Azteca proved just how big of a tournament El Tri truly had this summer.
But that was the World Cup. Now, domestic matters have returned, and many of Mexico’s stars of the summer have been on the move. Two of the country’s star strikers this summer have swapped allegiances in the recently closed transfer window, but will either of them enjoy the new lease of life their careers desperately need?
Raúl Jiménez Returns to Wolves
There were two men who led Mexico’s stellar effort at the World Cup. The first of them was Julián Quiñones, who top-scored for El Tri with four goals in five games. The second was veteran striker Raúl Jiménez, a man who headed into the tournament under a myriad of question marks as to whether he was up to the task of leading his country into a home World Cup at the ripe old age of 35. The former has remained in Saudi Arabia with Al-Qadsiah, but the latter certainly hasn’t sat by idly.
After three years in the Premier League with Fulham, Jiménez has swapped West London for the Black Country and rejoined Wolverhampton Wanderers, the team that first gave him his chance in England eight years ago. The former Benfica man amassed 166 appearances for Wolves between 2018 and 2023, netting 57 goals and even helping the club to Europa League qualification. Now, in the club’s hour of need after its relegation to the Championship, the 35-year-old is back after three years away, and he’s determined to fire them back to the promised land, a task online betting sites certainly think he could be up to.
The latest odds from Lucky Rebel Sportsbook make Wolves a 7/4 second-favorite to secure an immediate Premier League return. The same bookie considers Jiménez a 7/1 third-favorite to finish the campaign as the Championship’s top scorer.
“It feels really amazing. It’s exciting to be back there, where I lived my best years as a footballer.” That’s what Jiménez said after the free transfer was officially completed. And if his recent form is anything to go byupon his return, it appears those “best years” are set to continue.
The former Benfica man has netted twice in three league games so far this season. The first of them was a crucial 93rd-minute penalty which helped secure his new side a precious point in a 2-2 draw on the opening day against Blackburn Rovers. The second came in the resounding 4-1 drubbing of Stoke City at Molineux. If that is anything to go by, goals don’t look poised to dry up any time soon, despite Mexico’s second all-time top scorer’s advancing years.
Santiago Giménez’s Dire Need for a Change in Fortunes
The man who seemed to be locked in to be Mexico’s starting striker at the recent World Cup was Santiago Giménez. The ex-Cruz Azul youngster was in scintillating form throughout his two-and-a-half-year stint with Dutch outfit Feyenoord between 2022 and 2025, netting 65 goals in 105 games and solidifying his status as one of the hottest young strikers in Europe. His exploits secured him a mega-money €32m move to Italian giants AC Milan last February, but to say that the goals have dried up since would be an understatement,
Giménez managed just seven goals in his 18 months in the San Siro, including a goalless run throughout the entirety of the 2025/26 Serie A season. That saw him lose his status as Mexico’s starting striker, with the role handed to the veteran Jiménez instead, and it has also seen him lose his spot in the Rossoneri squad for the 2026/27 season.
On August 31st, the 25-year-old striker joined Portuguese champions FC Porto on a season-long loan after being left out of both Milan’s matchday squads for the opening two games of their Serie A season. Now, he looks to compete with the returning André Silva for a starting berth at the Estádio do Dragão in the absence of highly rated young Spanish striker Samu Aghehowa, who continues to recover from a cruciate ligament tear.
