Wolves fans excited for World Cup hero's return

Wolverhampton Wanderers fans have said they are "absolutely made up" for Raul Jimenez after the striker scored in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup.

The Mexico player, who recently re-signed for his former club, powered a header into the back of the net to give the World Cup hosts a 2-0 victory over South Africa on Thursday.

In his previous stint at Molineux, he scored 57 goals in 166 games and suffered a head injury in a game at Arsenal in November 2020 which left him with a fractured skull.

TV and radio presenter Mark Rhodes said he was "absolutely delighted" by the news.

"When I knew that Raul Jimenez was coming back to Wolves, I actually thought it was a joke at first, bearing in mind if your name's not Steve Bull, he's probably the greatest striker we've ever had," he said.

Rhodes, who has released a charity World Cup song to raise money for six charities across the West Midlands, said the club had "not had a good couple months", but he was looking forward to Jimenez scoring "20 to 25 goals" in the Championship.

"He's always been on the subs bench and to score and to win the game, I'm absolutely made up for him and I cannot wait for him to play in the Championship," the BBC Radio WM presenter added.

Wolves are looking to rebuild after finishing bottom of the Premier League last season and being relegated.

Dave Azzopardi from Talking Wolves said Jimenez was the "best striker that the club have had" over the last 20 years.

"After 12 to 18 months of disappointment and frustration for Wolves fans, a signing like this is just phenomenal," he said.

"To have hopefully a consistent goal scorer that all the fans love, we're really excited for this one."

He added it was "another sign of real intent" for Wolves, alongside the signing of former England full back Kieran Trippier on a two-year deal.

As well as confirmation of the two signings this week, Wolves also announced the sacking of head coach Rob Edwards on Thursday.

Ryan Leister, from The Wolves Report podcast, said he thought supporters' views would "be split" over his departure.

Leister pointed out the club released "a popular new kit over the weekend, Kieran Trippier signs on Monday and then the cherry on top of the cake signing Raul Jimenez, who comes home after three years away".

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