Raul Jimenez has carved his name in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ history books.
“I want to say thank you to all my teammates, to the staff, to the coach, because without all of them, I can’t achieve this goal,” Jimenez said following Wolves’ come-from-behind 3-2 victory against Southampton on Saturday.
Just minutes earlier, in front of a fervent stand of Wolves supporters at St. Mary’s Stadium, Jimenez scored his 23rd Premier League goal for Midlands side, becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League era. The Mexican surpasses Steven Fletcher’s record of 22 goals, which stood since 2012.
“I’m very happy for this, and I want to keep scoring,” he added.
With Wolves disputing Europa League qualifying matches in August, the 28-year-old began to build early on what is now a monstrous campaign - 19 goals and 9 assist in throughout all competitions. Half a year down the road, there are no signs of Jimenez’s magic running out. In fact, his brace against the Saints is clearest indicator of why that’s the case.
With his divine hold up play, well-calculated pressing and hunger for redemption, Jimenez emotionally inspired Nuno Espirito Santo’s side comeback. And in the 65th minute, his trademark penalty overturned a two-goal deficit, turning emotional to physical inspiration.
"[Coming back] was very important for us after a very bad first half,” he told Wolves reporters following the match.
Jimenez was full of praise for his team’s collective grit. He lauded his team’s “fantastic” second half - full of pressing and chances created. The tactic alterations implemented by Nuno Espirito Santo influenced Adama Traore’s run that led to Jimenez’s third and winning goal.
“In the end, we know that it depends on us - what we want to do, what we want to achieve. So, we need to keep going until the last minute. Keep trying to score, keep going with our football that makes us Wolves.”
We now know that Jimenez is Wolves’ all-time Premier League goalscorer, too.
