By numbers, Julián Quiñones is experiencing the best moment of his career.
In the sporting part, his average of one goal per game with Al-Qadsiah stands out, which will allow him to fight for the scoring title of the Saudi Pro League (Saudi Arabia) this week, facing Al-Ittihad on the last day.
On the economic side, related to that performance, his market value is at its peak with 12 million euros, according to Transfermarkt. When he left Liga MX, in the summer of 2024, he was valued at 10.
However, Julián Quiñones’ ‘prime’ will have his strongest challenge miles from the Middle East: in the 2026 World Cup.
It will be his World Cup debut, after FIFA will accept his change of nationality (he was born in Colombia) and will allow him to play for Mexico from 2023. Currently, he is on the pre-list of 55 called up by Javier Aguirre and is shaping up to enter the final list of 26.
“I was born ready for all kinds of challenges. Sometimes things don’t work out, but now more than ever I feel confident in lifting up the national team,” Quiñones declared on the last FIFA Date before the World Cup.
His statistics in a league in which figures such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, Kingsley Coman and Joao Félix compete raise expectations about what he can do with El Tri, although he has not yet exploded there.
In 20 games under the orders of Jaime ‘Jimmy’ Lozano and Javier Aguirre, he has barely contributed with two goals and two assists. The hope revives towards the World Cup.
Rediscovery
Julián Quiñones was born on March 24, 1997 in Magüí Payán, a municipality in the southwest of Colombia near the border with Ecuador.
He came to Mexican soccer in 2015 after scouting for Tigres. At less than 20 years old, he was loaned to Venados de Yucatán in the Liga de Ascenso and later consolidated himself in Liga MX between Tigres, Lobos BUAP, Atlas and América, to the point of winning six titles – he has the record of being the only footballer with two two-time championships, achieved with Atlas and América.
It seemed that his career was over, that he had achieved everything, especially when he was transferred to the Middle East, a region that is famous for receiving players who are already thinking about retirement.
The opposite turned out. In his second season with Al-Qadsiah, Quiñones consolidates himself as the Mexican forward with the most goals of the 2025-26 football year with 30, surpassing Armando ‘Hormiga’ González (Chivas) with 24 and Germán Berterame (Inter Miami) with 18.
“Being a scorer in any league has merit because you are representing the best in your position. Quiñones’ mission is to score goals and when you find footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema, who regardless of their age are authentic stars, it tells you about the level they are experiencing today,” Xavi Sol, announcer, narrator and TV presenter for Claro Sports and W Radio, tells El Economista.
“With 30 goals in 30 games he has brutal effectiveness. Furthermore, it is a league that is constantly growing and that not only has scorers, but great footballers in different positions who are arriving in Saudi Arabia.”
In Al-Qadsiah, Quiñones is coached by the British Brendan Rodgers and some of his attacking partners are the Italian national team Mateo Retegui and the Portuguese Otávio.
summer test
Although Quiñones is in his best sporting and market moment, he is no longer a rookie. At 29 years old, it is rumored that he would be transferred to Europe in the summer and this is where his participation in the World Cup could be key.
The first thing is to secure a place on the definitive ‘Vasco’ list, which also includes Raúl Jiménez, Santiago Giménez, Alexis Vega, Guillermo Martínez, César Huerta, Armando González and Germán Berterame in the deck of attackers.
His good moment brings him closer to that list, but not his recent past. He records 1,000 minutes in Aguirre’s management, being surpassed by Jiménez, Vega, Giménez and Huerta.
“I don’t think Julián’s thing in the national team has been given as such because of a responsibility that he has had. Although he had the Copa América (2024) to stand out, I think he will have revenge with his level and perseverance. There will be more tournaments where he takes over as a starter and can really show his full potential,” qualifies Xavi Sol.
“I think it is only a matter of time and of trusting that his time will come to take that place as one of the undisputed ones with the Tricolor, even considering that the World Cup could be his great after.”
Quiñones missed the last FIFA date 2025 due to a flexor muscle injury in his leg, but he left pleasant sensations in the friendlies against Portugal and Belgium in March 2026.
“It seems to me that he has matured a lot in the sense of adapting to another country, culture and language. He came from Colombia to Mexico and it was really in our country where he had all his growth and training, obviously, all the growth in Tigres, Atlas and América. This adaptation process makes him a more mature footballer who is undoubtedly ready to make the leap to European football,” concludes the specialist.
In the end, Quiñones will try to be a solution to Tri’s offensive difficulties. And in his last 11 games, he has only been able to score more than one goal in two: in the 2-2 against South Korea in September and in the 4-0 against Iceland in February.
