Julián Quiñones Wins Saudi Golden Boot With 33 Goals, Enters Ballon d'Or Conversation

Just a year ago, the question was almost rhetorical: could Julián Quiñones really fight for a spot at the 2026 World Cup while playing in Saudi Arabia? Today the answer is obvious. The Colombian-Mexican forward closed out the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League season as top scorer with 33 goals in 31 matches, even outscoring Cristiano Ronaldo in the standings, and capped off the year with a Ballon d'Or nomination.

The final blow came on the last matchday of the season, with a hat trick against Al-Ittihad that pushed him ahead of the Portuguese star, who finished with 28 goals. He also left behind Ivan Toney, who scored 32 goals the previous campaign, along with names like João Félix, Karim Benzema and Roger Martínez, another Colombian raised in Mexico who also came up through América.

Before that scoring spree, the debate in Mexico was intense. Quiñones was tearing up the Saudi league with Al-Qasdiah, the club he joined in a $16 million transfer, but playing far from Europe seemed to cost him credit in the eyes of some fans and members of the press. There was even speculation that Javier Aguirre preferred to wait for Santiago Giménez or Germán Berterame to wake up before buying into Quiñones. The problem was that the forward simply kept scoring, and eventually became impossible to ignore.

From Magüi Payán to Liga MX, and From There to the World

Quiñones was born in Magüi Payán, Colombia, but his career was built entirely in Mexico. He joined Tigres as a teenager, went on loan to Lobos BUAP in 2017-18 (17 goals in 28 matches), and that breakout run opened the door to Atlas. With the Rojinegros he became a legend: 32 goals in two league seasons, a back-to-back title run that ended a 70-year championship drought, and a Campeón de Campeones crown. From there came the move to América, where in just a single year he helped build a standout side alongside Álvaro Fidalgo, Henry Martín and Alejandro Zendejas, adding another back-to-back title to his résumé.

He made his debut for the Mexican national team in September 2023 under Jaime Lozano, against Honduras in the Nations League. In that tournament's final against Panama, he scored in a 3-0 rout. Even so, 2025 was not an easy year with El Tri: eight matches without a goal, even as he remained an entirely different player back in Saudi Arabia.

Everything changed with the 2026 World Cup. Aguirre included him in the final 26-man squad and Quiñones answered immediately, scoring the tournament's opening goal against South Africa within the first ten minutes of the match, and finished the World Cup with four goals, forming a lethal attacking partnership alongside Raúl Jiménez and Roberto Alvarado.

That run of performances, combined with his scoring title in Saudi Arabia, earned him a Ballon d'Or nomination from France Football, territory very few Mexicans have ever reached. He now shares that distinction with names like Rafa Márquez, Carlos Vela, Giovani dos Santos and Guillermo Ochoa, the only Mexican to receive votes, back in 2007.

For anyone who doubted the Saudi Pro League could be a serious showcase, Quiñones answered with goals, loud and clear.