Raúl Alonso Jiménez Rodríguez was born on 5 May 1991 in Tepeji del Río, Hidalgo, Mexico. He is unquestionably the most accomplished Mexican centre-forward of his generation, a complete number nine whose combination of hold-up play, aerial dominance, link-up ability and goal threat has made him a consistent performer in European football's elite leagues.
He began his career at Club América, where his intelligent movement and finishing ability established him as one of Liga MX's finest attackers. In 2014 he joined Atlético de Madrid on a loan that became permanent, playing a supporting role before a transfer to Benfica of Portugal in 2015, where he truly flourished — becoming the league's top scorer and one of the best strikers in Portuguese football.
In 2018 Wolverhampton Wanderers signed him, and over the following seasons he became one of the Premier League's most dangerous forwards, scoring prolifically and earning comparisons with the best number nines in the division. His career was interrupted dramatically in November 2020 when he suffered a serious skull fracture during a match against Arsenal — a life-threatening injury from which he made a remarkable recovery, returning to Premier League football the following season.
After his time at Wolves he joined Fulham and continued as an important contributor in the Premier League, demonstrating his resilience and professionalism in managing the physical demands of top-flight English football into his early thirties.
For Mexico he is the all-time record goalscorer and has been the talismanic centre-forward through multiple World Cups — 2018, 2022 and the 2026 qualifying campaign. Standing 1.85 m, Jiménez is a right-footed striker whose technical quality, intelligence and leadership make him the reference point for how a Mexican number nine can succeed at the highest level in world football.