DOHA, Qatar — Nearly three months after last playing a competitive match in the Premier League and less than a week after his return through an international friendly, Mexico striker Raul Jimenez stepped onto the pitch at the 2022 World Cup.
As a 71st minute substitute during Tuesday’s group stage match against Poland, the 31-year-old Wolverhampton Wanderers forward roamed around the opposition’s half, desperate to create opportunities and to find the back of the net for Mexico for the first time since March.
That goalscoring moment in Qatar’s Stadium 974 — nearly at full capacity with 39,000+ in attendance, most of which were emphatically rooting for El Tri — never arrived for Jimenez or his teammates.
Try as he may, the veteran unsurprisingly resembled a player who hasn’t taken part in a competitive match for months due to a groin injury. Although his link-up play was promising and he provided some clever distribution, his pace was a step behind most others. Through his limited time on the pitch, he also didn’t have an opportunity to at least register a shot in the match against Poland, which ultimately finished in a 0-0 draw.
And yet, there was a sense of significant relief seeing Mexico’s leading striker back on the field.
Not only because of what he represents to the national team — a figure so singular that he’s the sole member of El Tri with a standalone first name on his World Cup jersey — but also because it’s a minor miracle that he’s back on the field and now in Qatar after a previous setback in 2020 that threatened his career.
– World Cup news, features, previews, and more
– Stream FC Daily and Futbol Americas on ESPN+
Jimenez wouldn’t return to the field for eight months until a friendly for Wolves in the summer of 2021. Sporting a headband to protect his head, progress has been gradual over the last year or so, with additional injury setbacks in 2022 that have included a knee issue and his latest groin strain.
Out since August, the forward made his unofficial return in a brief cameo for Mexico in a 2-1 friendly loss to Sweden last week. Lacking a goal and with a bad first touch in his reappearance, media and fans pounced on the performance of Jimenez, placing a harsh spotlight on the recuperating player that had reportedly been selected over up-and-coming Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez for the World Cup roster.
