Interview: Quinones on Ronaldo race, jewel Al Juwayr & Mexico World Cup hope

Signed, in most people’s eyes, to play as a secondary striker alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Al Qadsiah’s headline recruit last season - it wasn’t long before Quinones took centre stage.

Twenty goals in his debut campaign was three more than Aubameyang, who has since departed, and the first time Quinones had broken the 20-goal threshold in his career.

Bettering that already this term, the Al Qadsiah No.33 has taken his game to an even higher level, especially since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers, a more attack-minded manager than predecessor Michel.

The Northern Irishman has turned Al Qadsiah into the league’s most prolific force - 51 goals in his 22 games in charge - with Quinones at the very heart of that.

“No matter who the coach is, I will always give my maximum for the club,” the frontman says. “The new coach arrived and many things changed, especially the intensity we perhaps lacked before - maybe due to a shift in dynamics.

“I’ve felt very good under both coaches. They are all good coaches. For me, the most important thing is to build so the team can move forward.”

Key to that, undoubtedly, is Musab Al Juwayr. The increasingly influential Saudi Arabia international, 22, represents Al Qadsiah’s future having excelled since joining last summer following a breakout season on loan at Al Shabab from Al Hilal.

Making the RSL Young Player of the Month award pretty much his own throughout 2024-25, Al Juwayr concluded the campaign being celebrated as the competition’s best up-and-coming talent.

“He’s a great player,” Quinones says. “We understand each other very well; when he touches the ball, I already know what he’s going to do, and vice versa.

“We train for that and talk about it every match. It’s important to know your teammates and understand each other’s style.

“I’m happy he’s performing well. We need him in our team.”

Like the prodigious playmaker, and while fourth-placed Al Qadsiah maintain an outside chance of winning the RSL title, Quinones is also targeting a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.

Julian Quinones rounded off Matchweek 5 with its third hat-trick, for Al Qadsiah at NEOM SC

To feature at football’s showpiece tournament is a dream come true for a player. But to play in one on home soil is something else altogether - and Quinones is desperate to be part of Javier Aguirre’s final 26-player squad for the finals in North America.

Indeed, Mexico open the World Cup on June 11, when they take on a South Africa side that could feature RSL duo Mohau Nkota and Elias Mokwana, at the refurnished Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

“For any player, [playing] at a World Cup is very important,” Quinones says. “That’s why I work hard every single day to be on the final squad list.

“Representing my country is the most important thing, and I give everything in training to make that happen.”

It would be the crowning moment for a journey that began as a teenager, when he made the decision to leave Colombia for fresh opportunities in Central America.

That decision, taken all those years ago, has led to this moment.

“It was a very important change for me, both personally and professionally,” Quinones says. “Leaving Colombia at a young age shaped me a lot and helped me become the player and the person I am today.

“It helped me grow into a warrior, someone who knows what he wants.

“Taking the step to Mexico was huge. I was joining the most successful club in the country, and that pushed me to give my very best so that my transfer wouldn’t be in vain.

“Thanks to the people around me, I achieved good personal results by winning titles with a club I care about deeply and I’m grateful for the trust they gave me. My favorite memory was lifting two titles with them.”

The trophies are yet to come at Al Qadsiah, but the accolades might be about to. A pioneer and a history-maker, Quinones’ quest for individual and collective honours sets him up for a 2026 to remember.