Fulham head coach Marco Silva hailed Raul Jimenez’s “incredible achievement” after the striker became Mexico’s highest-scoring Premier League footballer with 55 goals.
Jimenez, 33, scored two second-half penalties during Fulham’s 2-2 draw at home to Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon to surpass the previous record of 53 goals scored by Javier Hernandez — the former Manchester United forward, better known as Chicharito. He has scored 15 league goals since arriving at Fulham in 2023, having previously scored 40 English top-flight goals for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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Silva was full of praise for Jimenez, who now has eight Premier League goals this season, after the match.
“It is an incredible achievement,” Silva said in his post-match news conference. “I am really pleased for him because we all know he had a really bad moment, not just in his career, but in his life. It was, for sure, the worst moment of his life and his family’s life.
“It is so nice to see him achieve such an incredible number and it should be an honour for him being a Mexican player. I am sure he will be in Premier League history for many, many years.
“I don’t know if someone will come to break his record, but it’s an honour for him and let’s hope there is more to come from him.
“I am here to help him and we as a team are here to help him in the same way he helped us this afternoon. It’s not just the goals, it was the way he fought.
“He was there every single time to help the team. It is a great moment for him and let’s hope he can get even more confidence for the future.”
The top Mexican goalscorer in the history of the Premier League.
From Tepeji to the top of English football, Raúl Jiménez's legacy is pure pride for Mexico and the world 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/cG7Z9LiMtL
— Premier League USA (@PLinUSA) January 5, 2025
In November 2020, Jimenez, then at Wolves, sustained a life-threatening injury when he collided with Arsenal’s David Luiz. He was sidelined for eight months as he recovered from a fractured skull and returned in time for pre-season ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.
The Mexico international joined Fulham on a two-year deal worth just over £5million ($6.2m) in July 2023 having failed to register a top-flight goal during the 2022-23 season.
“He was really down when we signed him, we showed the trust in him and it is paying off,” Silva added.
“He has been fighting since the first two or three months in our football club because he was not scoring and everyone was asking why we took the decision to bring him to our football club. We kept trusting him, and he kept working really hard.”
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Jimenez’s Fulham contract is set to expire at the end of this season, although the Craven Cottage side can trigger a one-year extension, which Silva says is something they will discuss.
“We have to keep talking with him,” Silva added. “We have the option and everything is in our hands. What he has been showing every single week and in every single training session, I don’t think Raul needs to be concerned about it.
“When the moment is right, we are going to speak with him to decide.”
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(Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)
