Jesús Jiménez's time

He does not appear among the top Spanish scorers in the Ekstraklasa, but it is only a matter of time before Jesus Jimenez (Leganés, 1993) make a place in the history of the Polish First Division. Since his arrival at Górnik Zabrze in the summer of 2018, the striker from Lega has grown steadily. Evolution to which, however, the most important step still remains: after Igor Angulo's departure to India, Jiménez must show that he is capable of being the offensive beacon of Górnik: “Igor's departure is complicated. He has been here four years in which he has performed at a high level and those of us who remain are obliged to take a step forward. The scoring responsibility now rests with me, but it is something that does not pressure me. It is a challenge and I hope to be able to face it in the best possible way“.

Since his arrival in Zabrze, Jesús Jiménez stood out as the perfect partner for all his attack partners. In his first campaign he scored seven goals and gave 10 assists, which did not save him from a complicated adaptation process: “It was my first adventure abroad and the beginnings were difficult. Everything is different here, even football. Language, for example, determines a lot. You get to the locker room and you don't find out anything. They translate it for you, yes, but it is not the same. It is not so easy to draw your own conclusions. It took me six months to adapt, but from that moment on everything was for the better. I gained confidence and that was reflected in the field. “Especially in 2019/20, a campaign in which Jiménez ended up exploding in front of goal: 12 goals and eight assists made him one of the best attackers in the Ekstraklasa, something he got from the wing, occupying the far left and reserving gasoline for defensive tasks. “This season I will play closer to the area and the results will tell if I am still there or I return to the band. It is as important to mark as to attend and I am sure that by playing more advanced I will improve my figures, “he predicts.

And everything points to what reason is not lacking. Górnik Zabrze started the 2020/21 season with a victory (3-1) against Jagiellonia in the Cup. Jesús Jiménez appeared, and he did it when his team needed him most. With a tie on the scoreboard, the Spanish striker drew a break that was reminiscent of some of Igor Angulo's best afternoons in Zabrze. He received the ball and, filled with confidence, sent it to save. A match; a goal. And the streak should continue next weekend at the Ekstraklasa, on whose first day the miners host the newly promoted Podbeskidzie. “We must win because the objective is to be as high as possible. Górnik Zabrze is the club with the most titles in Poland, we must be consistent with our history”, warns Jiménez, who hopes to continue fulfilling the objective that led him to Poland: “Project my sports career”. Luckily, he will do so with fans in the stands: “We are going to start with 50% of the capacity. It is something that makes me happy because games without an audience are complicated. I remember the first one we played after the break: before the referee's whistle. nothing could be heard. More than a football game it seemed like a funeral. “

Jesús Jiménez, brave, has taken up residence in Gliwice, home of Górnik Zabrze's greatest rival, Piast. “It is a quiet city, perfect to focus on playing football”, although “when it gets dark there are those who dare to shout something.” “During the day,” he adds, “there is no problem. What's more, in Gliwice there are a lot of Górnik supporters.” The rivalry is usually healthy, but we must not forget that both hobbies starred in one of the biggest incidents in recent years in the Ekstraklasa in 2018. That is why Jesús Jiménez and Jorge Félix – Piast player until he left for Sivasspor this summer – former teammates at Alcorcón B, could not stay as long as they would have liked: “We would have liked to see each other more, but people don't like us getting together. We have also been down in recent seasons and they have been fighting for the title. We are, of course, but always very covered.”.

Struck by the pandemic

Jesús Jiménez was born and raised in Madrid, one of the regions hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis that still plagues Spain. The Górnik player lost his grandmother, which made the quarantine in Poland “very complicated”. “I hope everything changes soon because everyone deserves to get back to normal. My whole family is in Madrid and on a mental level it is being complicated“, reveals the footballer, who lives a completely different reality in Gliwice:” I live in one of the most affected areas of Poland, but here people lead a completely normal life. You see some mask, but nothing compared to Spain. I wear it because the club forces us to take care of ourselves. We must not forget that the virus is still there and we must protect ourselves in order to play. “