The Mexican National Team secured its spot in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup with a solid 2-0 victory over Ecuador, but in addition to advancing, the night produced a moment that will go down in the history of El Tri, as Raúl Jiménez became the second-highest all-time scorer for the Mexican national team.
The forward once again delivered in a high-stakes match and took another step toward cementing his legacy with the national team. Although Julián Quiñones also scored and paved the way for the victory, Jiménez was the star of the night thanks to the historic milestone he achieved.
Raúl Jiménez Surpasses Jared Borgetti
Mexico dominated the match from the opening minutes and created several scoring opportunities.
After Julián Quiñones scored, a defensive error by Ecuador allowed Raúl Jiménez to receive the ball inside the box.
The forward relied on Quiñones to set up the play, regained possession with space in front of the goal, and finished with finesse to seal the 2-0 victory.
That goal was of enormous statistical value.
With his goal, Raúl Jiménez reached 48 goals for the Mexican national team, surpassing the 46 goals Jared Borgetti scored during his career with El Tri.
As a result, the striker, who was born in Tepeji del Río, now stands alone in second place among Mexico’s all-time leading scorers.
Second only to Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, who holds the record with 52 goals (Filed under: Raúl Jiménez Makes History with Mexico).
The difference between FMF registration and FIFA registration
Although the Mexican Soccer Federation lists 48 goals for Jiménez, FIFA officially recognizes 47.
The difference is due to the goal the forward scored against Martinique during the 2019 Gold Cup.
Although Martinique is a member of CONCACAF, its national team is not affiliated with FIFA.
Therefore, that goal does not appear in the international organization’s official statistics.
Even so, in the annals of Mexican soccer history, Jiménez is already listed as the national team’s second-leading scorer (Filed under: Raúl Jiménez Makes History with Mexico).
Mexico’s All-Time Leading Goal Scorers
Javier “Chicharito” Hernández: 52
Raúl Jiménez: 48
Jared Borgetti: 46
Cuauhtémoc Blanco: 39
Luis Hernández: 35
Now he’s aiming for another historic milestone
With Mexico through to the round of 16, Raúl Jiménez will have new opportunities to keep adding to his goal tally.
The next challenge will be against England, a match that means much more than just a spot in the quarterfinals.
It could also bring the Fulham forward closer to the all-time record, which is still held by Chicharito Hernández.
Meanwhile, Julián Quiñones continues to have an outstanding 2026 World Cup.
His goal against Ecuador confirmed the striker’s current hot streak (Filed under: Raúl Jiménez Makes History with Mexico).
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