Top 50 players at 2022 World Cup, No. 50: Raúl Jiménez
FOX Sports soccer analyst and former USMNT midfielder Stu Holden is counting down the 50 best players participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. First up…
Country: Mexico
Rank: 50
Rank in 2018: 49
Position: Forward
Age: 31
Jiménez has played in two World Cups for Mexico, but never as their starting striker. In 2018, that title was held by Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, and in 2014, Oribe Peralta led El Tri's attack.
With Peralta now retired and Chicharito not expected to be in Mexico coach Tata Martino's plans for Qatar, Jiménez has the opportunity to fill that role, even if he's not a one-for-one replacement for Chicharito, Mexico's all-time leading goalscorer.
"You think about strikers from Mexico, Chicharito's the best with his movement in the box," Stu Holden said. "He's not quite at that level, but he's a guy that can find space and put the ball in the back of the net."
There are legitimate concerns about whether Jiménez will be fit when Mexico leave to Qatar, but if he's available and in-form, he'll make a huge difference for an otherwise inexperienced group of forwards.
"If Mexico are going to make a run at this year's edition and get out of a very difficult group with Argentina, Poland and Saudi Arabia, they're going to need Jiménez to put the ball in the back of the net for them to make a deep run."