Julian Quinones is not your typical Mexican football hero. Born in Colombia, naturalised as a Mexican citizen, and currently starring in Saudi Arabia, the 29-year-old winger arrives at the Azteca Stadium on Monday with three World Cup goals to his name — and England directly in his sights.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 last-16 tie between Mexico and England kicks off at 01:00 BST at the iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, with the match available live on BBC One.

From a forgotten village to the world stage

Quinones was born in Magui Payan, a small town in southern Colombia close to the Ecuadorian border, where he grew up in difficult circumstances.

"It's a very far away, forgotten village," he said in a recent interview. "Knowing I could overcome everything, even with all the difficulties and the lack of support, motivates me even more to keep on fighting, doing my best with every ball I get and in every match. I also do it for my family."

At 17, he left his amateur side Futbol Paz to join Mexican club Tigres. The decision was not easy. "I was young and I hesitated when thinking about leaving my country, in order to pursue new goals and paths," he admitted.

Over the next eight years, Quinones played for Tigres, Atlas, and Club America — racking up more than 70 goals in the Mexican top flight across permanent spells and loan moves. He won six league titles in Mexico, two apiece with each of his permanent clubs.

Why he plays for Mexico, not Colombia

Despite representing Colombia at youth level in 2017 and 2018, Quinones heard nothing from the Colombian national setup as he thrived in Mexico. By 2023, he had acquired Mexican nationality — and when Colombia finally came calling, it was too late. He chose Mexico.

"I found a very generous country," he said. "People welcome you, help you stand out, grow personally, and I loved it, so, little by little, I started to settle, I felt welcomed. I'll always be very grateful for those moments. Mexico made me a great person."

He now has a Mexican wife and children, and considers Mexico his home.

Outscoring Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia

Quinones left Mexico in a deal worth roughly £12 million to join Al-Qadsiah, a club that had just earned promotion to the Saudi Pro League. The move proved inspired: he has scored 62 goals in 68 appearances across all competitions since arriving.

Last season, his 33 league goals earned him the Saudi Pro League golden boot — finishing one ahead of England's Ivan Toney and four clear of Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo, despite Al-Qadsiah finishing only fourth in the table.

Three goals and two man-of-the-match awards at the World Cup

Quinones has carried that prolific form directly into the FIFA World Cup 2026. With three goals and an assist across four matches, no Mexican player in the tournament's recorded history — dating back to 1966 — has been directly involved in more goals in a single edition of the tournament. Luis Hernandez matched the four-goal involvement mark in 1998, but did so entirely through goals scored.

He opened his account by drilling the ball through South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams' legs in just the 9th minute of the tournament's opening game — the first goal of the entire 2026 World Cup. He also struck the woodwork as Mexico sealed a 2-0 win.

He then pounced from close range in Mexico's 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic, before running onto a long ball down the left flank and firing in a composed strike to open the scoring in a 2-0 defeat of Ecuador in the last 32. He was named man of the match in both the South Africa and Ecuador fixtures.

"I'm confident we'll get far," he said ahead of Monday's clash. "Our team is complete and competitive. We know what our goal is and we believe we can do it."

England's right-back — whoever lines up in that position in the thin air of Mexico City's high altitude — faces a stern test from one of this tournament's most in-form attackers.