Quinones was born in Magui Payan in southern Colombia, not too far from the Ecuadorian border, and grew up in some poverty.
“It’s a very far away, forgotten village,” he said in a recent interview.
“Knowing I could overcome everything, even with all the difficulties and the lack of support, motivates me even more to keep on fighting, doing my best with every ball I get and in every match. I also do it for my family.”
At the age of 17 he left his amateur team Futbol Paz to join Mexican side Tigres.
“I was young and I hesitated when thinking about leaving my country, in order to pursue new goals and paths,” he said.
He would come to think of Mexico as “my country” and now has a Mexican wife and children.
Quinones spent eight years there with Tigres, Atlas and Club America – plus three loan moves too.
Having previously represented Colombia at youth level in 2017 and 2018, he heard nothing from his homeland while he was banging in the goals – over 70 of them – in the Mexican top flight.
By the time a call from Colombia came in 2023 he was eligible to play for Mexico through naturalisation – and so joined their squad instead.
“I found a very generous country,” he said. “People welcome you, help you stand out, grow personally, and I loved it, so, little by little, I started to settle, I felt welcomed. I’ll always be very grateful for those moments.
“Mexico made me a great person. I didn’t have great references from Colombia, because I was not very wise back then, but Mexico welcomed me with arms wide open, knowing one has good and bad moments in life. I learned a lot from that.”
He won six league titles in Mexico, two with each of his permanent teams – although the Mexican league has two champions each year.
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