Raúl Jiménez facts for kids

This page is about the Mexican footballer. For the Argentine singer, see Raúl Giménez.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Jiménez and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.

Quick facts for kids
Raúl Jiménez

Jiménez in 2018

Personal information

Date of birth

5 May 1991 (age 34)

Place of birth

Tepeji, Hidalgo, Mexico

Height

1.90 m

Playing position

Forward

Club information

Current club

Fulham

Number

Youth career

2008–2011

América

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

2011–2014

América

(36)

2014–2015

Atlético Madrid

(1)

2015–2019

Benfica

(18)

2018–2019

→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)

(13)

2019–2023

Wolverhampton Wanderers

(27)

2023–

Fulham

(15)

National team^‡

2012

Mexico U23

(1)

2013–

Mexico

107

(35)

Honours

CONCACAF Cup

Representing Mexico
Olympic Games
Gold	2012 London	Team
Winner	2015 United States
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Winner	2019 United States

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 January 2025.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2024

Raúl Alonso Jiménez Rodríguez (born 5 May 1991) is a Mexican professional footballer. He plays as a forward for the English club Fulham and the Mexico national team.

Jiménez started his football journey in the youth system of Club América in Mexico. He made his debut in the top league in October 2011. In 2013, he helped América win their first championship, scoring many goals for the team.

In August 2014, Raúl moved to Spain to play for Atlético Madrid. After one season there, he joined Benfica in Portugal. He played 120 games and scored 31 goals for Benfica over three years. During this time, he helped them win two league titles in a row and other important trophies.

In June 2018, Jiménez moved to England to play for Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan. He quickly became their top scorer with 17 goals. The next year, he joined Wolves permanently and became a very important player. However, he had a serious head injury in November 2020, which kept him out of the game for nine months.

Raúl Jiménez was also a key player for the Mexico under-23 squad. They won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in 2012. Since 2013, he has played for the senior Mexico national team. He has represented his country in three FIFA World Cup tournaments (2014, 2018, 2022) and many other major international competitions. He is currently one of Mexico's top all-time goal scorers.

Club Career

América

Raúl Jiménez started his career in the youth team of Club América. He was seen as a very promising young striker. He made his first professional appearance on 9 October 2011. He scored his first goal on 30 October in a game against Puebla.

In the 2012–13 season, Jiménez became a regular starter for América. He scored his first two goals in one game (a "brace") in a 4–0 win against Atlante. He scored another brace later that season. He also scored two headers in a big win against Guadalajara. Jiménez helped América reach the league final, where they won the championship after a penalty shootout.

In the 2013–14 season, Jiménez continued to score important goals for América. He scored four goals in his first five games. He also scored a hat-trick (three goals in one game) in a 5–3 win against Santos Laguna. He played his last game for América in August 2014.

Atlético Madrid

Jiménez playing for Atlético Madrid in 2015

On 13 August 2014, Jiménez joined the Spanish club Atlético Madrid. He signed a six-year contract. He made his first appearance for them in a friendly tournament.

His first official game was in the Supercopa de España against Real Madrid. Atlético won this trophy. Jiménez made his league debut on 25 August 2014. He scored his only goal for Atlético on 27 September in a 4–0 win against Sevilla.

Benfica

On 13 August 2015, Jiménez moved to Portugal to play for Benfica. He signed a five-year deal with the Portuguese champions.

Jiménez playing for Benfica in the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League

He scored his first goal for Benfica on 29 August. In November, he scored his first two goals in the UEFA Champions League. He helped Benfica reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League. On 9 April, he scored a winning goal against Académica, helping Benfica stay in the lead in the league. Benfica won the league title that season. He also scored in the Taça da Liga final, where he was the top scorer of the competition.

In July 2016, Benfica bought the remaining rights to Jiménez, making him one of the most expensive Mexican players. He continued to play well, helping Benfica win the Taça de Portugal in 2017. In December 2017, he played his 100th game for Benfica.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 12 June 2018, Jiménez joined Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) on a loan deal. He scored in his first competitive game for Wolves, helping them draw 2–2 with Everton. He scored the only goal in a win against Burnley. He also provided many assists for his teammates.

On 10 March 2019, Jiménez scored a goal that made him the Wolves player with the most Premier League goals in a single season. He scored his 15th goal of the season in an FA Cup match against Manchester United.

On 4 April, Wolves signed Jiménez permanently for a club-record fee. He scored his 13th Premier League goal on 27 April, setting a new record for Wolves. He finished the season with 17 goals and was voted the Wolves Players' Player of the Season.

In the 2019–20 season, Jiménez continued to be a top scorer. He scored two goals in a Europa League qualifying match. He scored his 50th and 51st goals in European competitions. In November 2019, he was voted PFA Player of the Month. He broke his own record for most goals in a Premier League season for Wolves, ending with 27 goals in total. He was again voted Wolves' player of the season by both fans and teammates.

On 29 November 2020, Jiménez suffered a serious head injury during a game against Arsenal. He fractured his skull and needed surgery, which kept him out for the rest of the season.

He returned to play in the 2021–22 season, wearing a head guard. He scored his first goal since the injury in September 2021. In November, he scored his 50th goal for Wolves. He received his first red card for Wolves in December 2021.

In the 2022–23 season, Jiménez faced more injuries. He scored his first goal of the season in an EFL Cup match against Preston North End.

Fulham

On 25 July 2023, Raúl Jiménez signed with another Premier League club, Fulham. He signed a two-year contract. He made his official debut for Fulham on 12 August in a win against Everton.

On 12 November, he scored his first Premier League goal for Fulham. In December, he scored in two big 5–0 wins. He was sent off in a match on 16 December. On his return, he scored against Arsenal. On the last day of the 2023–24 season, Jiménez scored twice, finishing the season with seven goals.

In the 2024–25 season, he scored his first goal in the EFL Cup. In September, he scored in three Premier League games in a row. His goal against Nottingham Forest was his 50th Premier League goal and his 100th goal for a European club. This made him only the third Mexican player to score 100 goals in Europe.

International Career

Playing for Mexico's Under-23 Team

In 2012, Jiménez was chosen to play for the Mexico under-23 squad in the Toulon Tournament. He scored a goal in the semi-finals against the Netherlands. Mexico went on to win the tournament.

Jiménez was also part of the squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He played in several matches, usually coming on as a substitute. Mexico famously defeated Brazil 2–1 in the final to win the gold medal.

Playing for Mexico's Senior Team

Jiménez made his debut for the senior national team on 30 January 2013.

FIFA Confederations Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup

In 2013, Jiménez was part of the squad for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. He played in all three group games. He also played in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He scored against Canada and Trinidad and Tobago. Mexico was eliminated in the semi-finals.

FIFA World Cup Appearances

During a World Cup qualifier against Panama in October 2013, Jiménez scored an amazing bicycle kick goal. This goal helped Mexico win 2–1 and was later named the CONCACAF Goal of the Year.

He was selected for the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. He made his World Cup debut against host nation Brazil. Jiménez also played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He appeared as a substitute in two matches. He was part of Mexico's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, playing as a substitute in all three group matches.

Copa América and Confederations Cup

In the 2015 Copa América, Jiménez scored two goals for Mexico. He also played in the Copa América Centenario in 2016. At the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, he scored his only goal in the tournament against New Zealand, helping Mexico win 2–1.

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Jiménez in 2023.

In June 2019, Jiménez was included in Mexico's squad for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He scored two goals in Mexico's big 7–0 win against Cuba. He scored again against Martinique. In the quarter-final, he scored against Costa Rica. In the semi-final against Haiti, Jiménez scored the only goal from a penalty kick. In the final against the United States, he assisted the winning goal. Mexico won their eighth Gold Cup. Jiménez was given the Golden Ball Award for being the best player of the tournament, scoring five goals.

On 9 September 2023, he played his 100th game for Mexico and scored his 30th international goal.

Style of Play

Raúl Jiménez is known as a forward who is very strong in the penalty area. He is good at holding the ball up for his teammates and is excellent in the air, meaning he can head the ball well. This helps him score goals and create chances for others. Even though he is a big player, he is not just a "traditional number nine" (a player who only scores goals). He is a "well-rounded player" who can do many things on the field. People have compared his playing style to famous footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović. He is also known for being very good at scoring penalty kicks.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
América	2011–12	Mexican Primera División	18	2	—		—		—		—		18	2
	2012–13	Liga MX	39	14	5	0	—		—		—		44	14
	2013–14	Liga MX	35	16	—		—		2	2	—		37	18
	2014–15	Liga MX	4	4	—		—		—		—		4	4
	Total		96	36	5	0	—		2	2	—		103	38
Atlético Madrid	2014–15	La Liga	21	1	4	0	—		1	0	2	0	28	1
Benfica	2015–16	Primeira Liga	28	5	2	0	5	4	10	3	—		45	12
	2016–17	Primeira Liga	19	7	4	3	2	0	6	1	1	0	32	11
	2017–18	Primeira Liga	33	6	2	0	2	1	5	0	1	1	43	8
	Total		80	18	8	3	9	5	21	4	2	1	120	31
Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)	2018–19	Premier League	38	13	6	4	—		—		—		44	17
Wolverhampton Wanderers	2019–20	Premier League	38	17	2	0	—		15	10	—		55	27
	2020–21	Premier League	10	4	—		1	0	—		—		11	4
	2021–22	Premier League	34	6	2	0	—		—		—		36	6
	2022–23	Premier League	15	0	2	0	3	3	—		—		20	3
	Total		97	27	6	0	4	3	15	10	—		122	40
Fulham	2023–24	Premier League	24	7	1	0	4	0	—		—		29	7
	2024–25	Premier League	22	8	1	1	2	1	—		—		25	10
	Total		46	15	2	1	6	1	—		—		54	17
Career total			379	110	30	8	19	9	39	16	4	1	471	144

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Mexico	2013	18	4
	2014	8	2
	2015	14	3
	2016	7	1
	2017	12	4
	2018	9	2
	2019	11	7
	2020	4	3
	2021	5	1
	2022	10	2
	2023	6	4
	2024	3	2
Total		107	35

Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jiménez goal.

List of international goals scored by Raúl Jiménez
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 July 2013	CenturyLink Field, Seattle, United States	Canada	1–0	2–0	2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2	20 July 2013	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, United States	Trinidad and Tobago	1–0	1–0	2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3	11 October 2013	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Panama	2–1	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	13 November 2013	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	New Zealand	2–0	5–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	18 November 2014	Borisov Arena, Barysaw, Belarus	Belarus	1–0	2–3	Friendly
6	18 November 2014	Borisov Arena, Barysaw, Belarus	Belarus	2–1	2–3	Friendly
7	15 June 2015	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Chile	2–1	3–3	2015 Copa América
8	19 June 2015	Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua, Chile	Ecuador	1–2	1–2	2015 Copa América
9	4 September 2015	Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, United States	Trinidad and Tobago	2–2	3–3	Friendly
10	2 September 2016	Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	3–1	3–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
11	1 June 2017	MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States	Republic of Ireland	2–0	3–1	Friendly
12	8 June 2017	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Honduras	3–0	3–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
13	21 June 2017	Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia	New Zealand	1–1	2–1	2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
14	13 November 2017	Stadion Energa Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland	Poland	1–0	1–0	Friendly
15	7 September 2018	NRG Stadium, Houston, United States	Uruguay	1–1	1–4
16	11 October 2018	Estadio Universitario, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico	Costa Rica	3–2	3–2
17	22 March 2019	SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, United States	Chile	1–0	3–1
18	15 June 2019	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States	Cuba	2–0	7–0	2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
19	15 June 2019	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States	Cuba	5–0	7–0
	23 June 2019	Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, United States	Martinique	2–1	3–2
20	29 June 2019	NRG Stadium, Houston, United States	Costa Rica	1–0	1–1	2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
21	2 July 2019	State Farm Stadium, Glendale, United States	Haiti	1–0	1–0	2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
22	15 November 2019	Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama	Panama	1–0	3–0	2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A
23	15 November 2019	Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama	Panama	3–0	3–0	2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A
24	7 October 2020	Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Netherlands	1–0	1–0	Friendly
25	14 November 2020	Stadion Wiener Neustadt, Wiener Neustadt, Austria	South Korea	1–1	3–2
26	17 November 2020	Liebenauer Stadium, Graz, Austria	Japan	1–0	2–0
27	13 October 2021	Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	2–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
28	2 February 2022	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Panama	1–0	1–0
29	30 March 2022	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	El Salvador	2–0	2–0
30	7 June 2023	Estadio de Mazatlán, Mazatlán, Mexico	Guatemala	1–0	2–0	Friendly
31	9 September 2023	AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States	Australia	1–2	2–2
32	12 September 2023	Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States	Uzbekistan	1–1	3–3
33	12 September 2023	Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States	Uzbekistan	2–2	3–3
34	15 October 2024	Estadio Akron, Zapopan, Mexico	United States	1–0	2–0
35	19 November 2024	Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca, Mexico	Honduras	1–0	4–0	2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League