At the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, with 80,000 fans roaring around him, Raul Jimenez rose above the South African defence to power in a header in the 67th minute—and then collapsed to the ground in tears. It was November 29, 2020, all over again in his mind: that sickening collision with Arsenal's David Luiz that had fractured his skull and left him unconscious on the pitch, gasping for oxygen. But this time, the moment was transcendent. After nearly six years of recovery from what could have been a fatal injury, the 35-year-old Mexico striker had just scored in his first World Cup start, on home soil, in front of his country.

Jimenez's tears made sense to everyone watching. As he leapt and celebrated, he pointed skyward—a tribute to his father, Raul Jimenez Vega, who had died just three months earlier in March. His teammates mobbed him immediately, recognizing what they were witnessing: not just a goal in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, but a resurrection story playing out in real time. Mexico's Julian Quinones, who had opened the scoring in the ninth minute, spoke for the team afterward. "We really congratulated him because he gives a lot to the team," Quinones said. "Being part of a team is our pride and it's wonderful he continues to add goals to his career as a player in our national team."

The goal itself—a header from Roberto Alvarado's right-wing cross—sealed Mexico's 2-0 victory and marked a staggering milestone for Jimenez. At his 125th appearance for his country, he became joint second on Mexico's all-time goalscoring list with 46 goals, behind only Javier Hernandez's 52. But the numbers pale beside the context. In November 2020, Jimenez had been at the peak of his career at Wolves, scoring 17 Premier League goals the season before and holding his team's record transfer fee at £30 million. His life, and his career, had seemed to be over.

The recovery was agonizing. He spent six months unable to train with teammates. He didn't play for Wolves again for eight months. When he finally returned to the pitch in September 2021, grabbing the winner in a 1-0 victory at Southampton, it felt like a second chance. Yet even as he rebuilt his career—stints at Fulham followed by a return this week to Wolves—the threat remained present. Jimenez still wears a reinforced headband to protect against further injury, a visible reminder of how close death had come.

For those who'd known him through those dark months, including Edu Rubio, now an assistant coach at Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer, seeing Jimenez score at the World Cup felt overdue. "After his head injury it took a bit of time to get back into the career," Rubio told BBC Sport. "There were not just medical concerns, but also would he be the same killer in front of goal? His application is tremendous, he is a lovely guy, his family are beautiful and very supportive." The combination of elements—a hosting country, a massive crowd, the opening match, family watching from above—created something rare in sport: a moment that felt earned by something deeper than skill alone.

Former England striker Ian Wright captured it best on ITV: "You can see the realisation and that is where the emotion comes." At the Azteca, in front of 80,000 people, Raul Jimenez's realisation was complete. He'd survived what should have killed him. Now, he was scoring goals for his country again.