Raúl Jiménez finally broke through in Europe. In the last month, he has become the leading goal scorer for Benfica, who is discovering the full potential of the Mexican player. This Wednesday, he will be going for his fifth consecutive game as a scorer.
The striker has not stopped celebrating since the resumption of the Portuguese league after the last FIFA Date. Six goals in the eight Benfica matches since then, four of them in the last four games (Napoli, Sporting, Real Sport Clube, and Estoril) confirm the highlight of his career since he left Mexico two and a half years ago.
The defeat against Marítimo on December 2, in which Jiménez came off the bench, marked a turning point. Rui Vitoria, his coach, sacrificed Mitroglou to include Jiménez in the starting lineup, and he has taken advantage of the opportunity by delivering excellent results.
His goals against Sporting and Estoril have given Benfica six points, allowing them to continue leading the Liga NOS table with a one-point advantage over Porto, whose players include Herrera, Layún, and Tecatito (and one less game played).
"I believe this is my best moment in Europe. I feel very comfortable on the field. I have worked hard since I arrived at Benfica, and that daily effort is starting to pay off," said Jiménez after scoring against Estoril.
Jiménez's excellent streak in recent weeks contrasts with the poor performance of the rest of the Mexican legion in European soil. Only Jonathan dos Santos (2) with Villarreal and Tecatito (1) have scored since Tri's draw in Panama, although in fewer quantities than Jiménez, who has already scored the same number of goals (5) in just nine league matches as he did in 28 matches last season.
Similarly, there is no other goal scorer in Portuguese football who has better numbers since mid-November. The closest is Porto's André Silva (5), the Brazilians Wilson Eduardo and Tiquinho (4), and Sporting's Dutch player, Bas Dost (3). Silva is the leading goal scorer (10 goals), tied with Guinea's Marega.
A PURE STRIKER
Jiménez looks much more comfortable now as a pure striker instead of playing on the wing. It seems that he has gained the complete trust of his coach, who has not hesitated to give him every penalty in recent games. Against Estoril, he converted his fourth penalty out of four possible since arriving in Portugal.
"I remained calm. I like taking on the responsibility of taking penalties. I've taken quite a few already! The confidence I am given to take them is also something very important that contributes to my form," he admitted.
Jiménez still has two opportunities to extend his streak before the end of the year: this Wednesday against Rio Ave and on December 29 against Paços Ferreira, both matches at the Da Luz stadium.
