'Special' feeling - Raul Jimenez on his dramatic winner and relationship with Wolves fans

Raul Jimenez admitted he missed the ‘special’ feeling of scoring important goals in front of the Wolves fans.

The Mexican striker came off the bench to fire Wolves to a dramatic late victory at Sheffield United on Saturday, a goal he celebrated with a delirious away end.

It was the best moment of the 35-year-old’s return so far, having returned to Wolves this season three years since ending his legendary first spell with a move to Fulham.

“It was really special,” said Jimenez to BBC WM. “It was really good for me to come on to the pitch and win the game with that really good goal, and celebrating with the fans is always special for me.”

He added: “It is what I missed sometimes, this right feeling of scoring and celebrating with them.

“The family that we are - us on the pitch, the fans in the stands - we are all together and we need to be all together to get what we want.”

Jimenez became the club’s record Premier League goalscorer during his first spell that featured a run to the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley and then the quarter-finals of the Covid-affected Europa League.

He also endured the most difficult moment of his life when suffering a serious head injury away at Arsenal in November 2020.

Since, though, he bounced back to play again for Wolves, have three more years in the Premier League with Fulham and then lead Mexico into what was effectively a home World Cup this summer, scoring twice.

Wherever he has been though, there is no place like Wolverhampton for the No.9 - especially because of his relationship with the fans: “It has always been really special since I arrived to the club in 2018 - I felt it since the first moment, so it’s really important.

“We never left that behind, the years I was away and now coming back and feeling the same it’s really good for me.”