Julián Quiñones spoke for the first time about one of the most controversial decisions of the 2026 World Cup: his substitution in the round of 16 duel between the Mexico team and England, a move that unleashed criticism against Javier Aguirre after the elimination of the national team.

The Mexican forward acknowledged that the change also surprised him and left a phrase that quickly became a topic of conversation among fans when remembering that match.

Julián Quiñones questions the change of Javier Aguirre

During a reel published on Instagram, Julián Quiñones spoke with his tattoo artist about different moments of the 2026 World Cup, including Javier Aguirre's decision to replace him when Mexico was trying to stay alive against England.

It was then that the attacker released a statement that did not go unnoticed.

“Ah yes, I know…, the old man made a mistake in the changes,” commented the forward when remembering the moment he left the field of play.

The substitution occurred in the 81st minute, when Javier Aguirre decided to bring on Guillermo Martínez instead of Julián Quiñones, a modification that was widely questioned due to the level that the attacker showed during the match.

Quiñones was one of Mexico's figures in the 2026 World Cup

Beyond the elimination in the round of 16, Julián Quiñones was one of the most outstanding footballers of the Mexico team during the World Cup.

The forward finished the tournament with four goals and one assist, directly participating in five goals for the Mexican team.

With these four goals he equaled Javier Hernández and Luis Hernández as the top scorers of the Mexican team in World Cups, an achievement that reflects the impact he had in his first World Cup participation.

The pride of representing Mexico

Despite the bitter outcome against England, Julián Quiñones assured that his main memory of the tournament will be the support of the Mexican fans and the opportunity to defend the country's colors in a World Cup.

"Very excited to play with the Mexican National Team, there was a lot of chaos. We couldn't even walk in the airport," said the forward.

A World Cup that consolidated Julián Quiñones

The 2026 World Cup represented a before and after for Julián Quiñones with the national shirt.

In addition to becoming one of the team's offensive references, the attacker had the best performance of his career with the Mexican team, consolidating himself as one of the main figures of the tournament and making it clear that he will be one of the players to follow in the next World Cup process.