Raul Jimenez has lauded the support he received from Wolverhampton Wanderers fans after scoring his first goal since returning from a long-term head injury. The striker suffered a skull fracture in November 2020 following an accidental clash of heads with Arsenal’s David Luiz, which required emergency surgery. The Mexican didn’t kick a ball again for the rest of the 2020/21 campaign, returning for the first time on the opening day of the new season in a 1-0 defeat at Leicester City. On Sunday Jimenez finally scored for the first time in 10 months, netting a sensational winner for Wolves against Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium. And he reacted by saying it was “fantastic” to be scoring again and opened up on the tough road back to recovery and full fitness.
Raul Jimenez said: “It’s difficult after almost nine months until I played again and it feels fantastic to be here, to be playing again, and to be back on the scoresheet. I’ve worked hard for this, but I’m going to keep working hard so I can get things like this. It means a lot. It has taken a lot of work and a lot of hard work during these 11 months now. I have to keep working like this, I have to keep focused on what I want and I have to go into each game like it’s the first match that I’m playing, with the same ambition, and that’s what I want. To keep working and keep helping the team.”
Jimenez went on to praise the support of the Wolves fans for not only himself, but the team too, and how they intend to keep fighting on the pitch for the crowd.
Raul Jimenez said: “I said it last week, that they are always with us. It doesn’t matter if we are losing or winning, they are always there supporting us and I think it’s really important that we are together as a pack, with them supporting us, and us fighting for them on the pitch. It doesn’t matter where we go, they are there. They have supported a lot. Since the first minute the accident happened, they were there. I received a lot of support from them, and I know they’re going to be with us in every moment, so that’s what the Wolves family it all about. We’re working hard on the pitch and they’re feeling happy with us.”
The winning goal arose from a long kick out from goalkeeper Jose Sa, which Jimenez confirmed was a coordinated move that the team have been working on.
Raul Jimenez said: “It came from a kick from the goalkeeper and this is something that we work on in training, Sa getting the ball and giving it to our strikers. I fought until the end with that one and I think it was because I wanted this goal so much, but now I have my payback. I was really, really excited in that moment. When I was there, looking for the ball, winning the ball and then dribbling the last defender. I took my head up and I saw that it was mine. I just shoot and I knew that it was going in, so it was really good. It felt fantastic. To score in front of our fans, it was amazing to score again in the Premier League. I’ve been looking for this goal since the start of the Premier League, and now I feel very good, it fells fantastic to be back on the scoresheet. I’ve been working hard for this, the team have been working hard for this and now for what we have done, we deserve it.”
