He Fractured His Skull, Lost His Father, Then Scored at the World Cup
Mexico · Sport
Key Facts
—The moment. Mexico striker Raúl Jiménez scored his first World Cup goal, at 35, on opening night at home.
—The injury. In 2020 he fractured his skull in a collision during a Premier League match and needed emergency surgery.
—The odds. Doctors told him his survival, let alone his return, was close to a miracle.
—The loss. His father died in March 2026 after an illness, months before the tournament.
—The match. Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 at the Estadio Azteca, with Jiménez scoring the second.
—The scene. He dropped to his knees in tears and pointed to the sky.
It was, for most of the crowd, simply Mexico’s second goal of the night. For Raúl Jiménez, it was the end of a journey that began the day a fractured skull nearly ended his life, and the most lasting story of this World Cup so far.
When Raúl Jiménez rose to meet the cross and headed the ball home, the Estadio Azteca erupted. Then the cameras found his face, and the celebration turned into something quieter and far more moving.
He sank to his knees and pointed to the sky, tears streaming down his face. For anyone who knew his story, the reason was obvious.
The day that nearly ended everything
Rewind to November 2020. Jiménez was playing for the English club Wolverhampton against Arsenal when he leapt for a header and collided sickeningly with a defender.
He fell to the ground and did not move. Teammates and family watched, not knowing whether he was even alive.
The diagnosis was terrifying: a fractured skull with bleeding inside the brain. He was rushed into emergency surgery that same night.
In the days that followed, the surgeons were honest with him. They told him it was a kind of miracle that he had survived at all, never mind that he might play again.
The long road back
Recovery was slow and uncertain. It took him about eight months to step back onto a pitch, at first wearing a protective headband.
He has said he never let himself imagine quitting. Even when others feared his career was finished, he kept telling himself he would return.
The setbacks kept coming. There were further injuries, dips in form, and the long grind of rebuilding a body and a confidence that had been shattered in an instant.
He had been to a World Cup before, in 2022, but only as a substitute, and the goal would not come. The dream of scoring on the biggest stage stayed just out of reach for more than a decade.
A second grief
Then came another blow, this one off the pitch. In March 2026, just months before the tournament, his father died after an illness.
His father had been a central figure in his career, the kind of presence every young player leans on. Losing him on the eve of a home World Cup gave the season a heavy undertow.
It was not the first time grief and football had collided for him. When he scored his first goal for his club after that loss, he had wept and pointed to the sky, the same gesture he would repeat at the Azteca.
The World Cup goal that meant everything
This time it was different. At 35, finally given a starting role under coach Javier Aguirre, Jiménez led the line on opening night in front of a packed home crowd.
In the second half, Mexico’s lead doubled when his header found the net. Four World Cups after his debut, the goal he had chased for so long had finally arrived.
The 2-0 win over South Africa was a fine start for the hosts. But the result was almost beside the point next to what the moment meant for the man who scored.
Here was a player who had nearly died, lost his father, and been written off more than once, standing in tears on the grandest stage of all. It is the rare sports story that needs no exaggeration.
Why the story lasts
Most World Cup moments fade once the next match kicks off. This one is likely to endure, because it is about far more than football.
It is a story about survival, patience, and the long work of coming back from the edge. You do not need to follow the sport to feel its pull.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Raúl Jiménez in 2020?
He fractured his skull in a head collision during a Premier League match for Wolverhampton against Arsenal. He needed emergency surgery for bleeding in the brain and was out of action for about eight months.
Why was his World Cup goal so emotional?
It was his first World Cup goal after surviving a life-threatening injury and the recent death of his father. At 35 and on home soil, he scored, then dropped to his knees in tears and pointed to the sky.
What was the result of the match?
Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 at the Estadio Azteca in the tournament’s opening game, with Jiménez scoring the second goal. It was a strong start for one of the three host nations.
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