Raul Jimenez Wolves
Raul Jimenez has revealed his first goal since the horrific head injury that threatened his career brought closure to a dark period of his life. The striker has described how Wolves supporters have helped him during a tough time.
Raul Jimenez said “I’m feeling better and better,. I see I’m able to help the team more and more. I’m feeling well, I feel happy with what I’ve done for the team, with what I’ve managed to contribute during our last few matches, and I want to continue on this path. From the first day of this Premier League season, I was thinking about being here and playing football again, because that is already an incredible achievement for me. And then, to score a goal in that game against Southampton, I will always remember that moment for being the first goal after what happened. Finally, I could find closure after my long absence from the pitch, due to my head injury. It was a long process and a difficult moment in my life. I think it’s a difficult situation for any footballer. It was challenging, but I managed to recover and leave it behind me. The support of my family, of Daniela, of my daughter Arya, but also all the love shown by the fans, gave me an extra motivation to come back and play football like before.”
Jimenez also described how he feels when he hears Wolves fans chant his name.
Raul Jimenez said “It’s just incredible. Every time they start singing, it gives you something extra. You can feel that they are supporting you, that they will always be there for you, in good times and in bad times. No matter if you play against the first placed team, or against the dead last club, the Molineux stadium will be full. Wherever we go, our fans will travel with us too. They are there supporting us, unconditionally. It’s just amazing for a footballer to know that every weekend you will play in front of full stadiums and that you will see your fans supporting you, no matter what. For me, personally, when they start singing that song – Si Senor – to me, it just feels incredible. I could have never expected the love that the Wolves fans have given me. We had two days off to recover from the last game, but then we have been working flat out, knowing that we have a difficult game ahead of us. Everton are just one point ahead of us, with 14 points, so if we can win it, we’ll pass them to make it in the top 10, but if we lose, they’ll start to widen the gap with us. We always have to aim for the three points, even when we know it’s going to be a difficult match. They are coming from an important defeat and we’re expecting that they will want to rebound and get some points in Wolverhampton. But we’re determined to make the home advantage work in our favour, and we’ll do the best we can to win that match.”
Last month the Mexican provided the winner in a 1-0 victory over Southampton – his first since recovering from the fractured skull sustained in November 2020. Jimenez can now put that experience to bed and continue leading the line for Wolves – at Everton on Monday – having been helped by the support of his family, both close and wider.
