Jackson Martínez


Jackson Arley Martínez Valencia is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Portimonense.
He is often nicknamed "Cha Cha Cha" for his dance-like moves on the pitch. He is also nicknamed "The Joker" cause of his free spirit personality. Noted columnist Tim Vickery describes him as "an out-and-out goalscorer, a front-to-goal centre-forward who can finish off both feet." He was Primeira Liga's top scorer in all three of his seasons with Porto, and totalled 94 goals in 143 games for the club. In July 2015, Martínez joined Atlético Madrid for €35 million, and six months later Guangzhou Evergrande of China for €42 million. He suffered an ankle injury that ruled him out for two years, before returning to Portugal with Portimonense.
Martínez represented Colombia 40 times between 2009 and 2015, scoring nine goals for the country. He played for them at the 2011 and 2015 Copa América, as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Independiente Medellín

In 2009, Martínez was the top goalscorer in the top-tier Categoría Primera A in Colombia, with 18 goals. He also led Independiente Medellín to its fifth league title.

Chiapas

After several seasons in Colombia, Martínez attracted interest from teams in Argentina and Mexico, and was eventually signed by Chiapas from the Liga MX. He ended the first season with nine goals, placing him fourth in the top scorer's table. In the Copa Libertadores 2011, Martínez was a key player for Chiapas as they reached the quarter-finals. He was named captain of the squad at the beginning of the Clausura 2012 season, finishing the season scoring over 30 goals for them. Along with his performances for the Colombian national team, his outstanding performances in Mexico subsequently led to interest from Portuguese team Porto.

FC Porto

2012–13 season

On 7 July 2012, Martínez signed with Porto for €8.8 million. On 11 August, he played his first competitive match for the Portuguese team in the 2012 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira against Académica de Coimbra, also scoring his first goal. He scored in the 90th minute, which gave Porto their 19th victory of the tournament, and was named as the man of the match.
Martínez scored his first league goal on 25 August from the penalty spot against Vitória de Guimarães in the 80th minute, with Porto winning the game 4–0. Against rivals Sporting CP, he scored a back heel volley in a 2–0 win. During the third round of the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League group stage, Martínez scored his first goal in European competition thanks to an assist by James Rodríguez against Dynamo Kyiv. He scored again in the same match, which ended 3–2 to Porto.
With 11 goals in 12 matches, he eclipsed the record of former Porto strikers Radamel Falcao, Lisandro López and Hulk. On the same day, after he scored two more goals in a 5–0 victory against Marítimo, he made the front page in every sports-related newspaper in Portugal. His goal-scoring performances in domestic competitions also resulted in him being named the SJPF Player of the Month for October and November.
In O Clássico against rivals Benfica, he scored in a 2–2 draw. He scored a hat-trick against Vitória de Guimarães, which included two headers, making it his first hat-trick for Porto. At the time, he had scored 18 goals in 17 matches in the Primeira Liga. Martínez was named the February SJPF Player of the Month.
In the final match of the league season against Paços de Ferreira, Martínez sealed the 2–0 victory after scoring the second goal and assuring Porto's third consecutive league title, one point ahead of rivals Benfica. The goal marked his 26th goal in the league, securing him top goal-scoring honours.
ESPN noted Martínez as one of the best signings for the 2012–13 season, following his seasonal European debut.

2013–14 season

In the 2013 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, Martínez scored the second goal in a 3–0 victory against Vitória de Guimarães at the Estádio Municipal de Aveiro, claiming his second Portuguese SuperCup in a row.
In the opening league match against Vitória de Setúbal, Martínez scored the third goal in a 3–1 win. He scored his second league goal a week later against Marítimo. On 1 September, he scored the only goal in a 0–1 away win against Paços de Ferreira. Martínez scored again the following week in a victory against Gil Vicente, also adding another off a pass from Lucho González in a 2–2 draw with Estoril on 22 September. Martínez then scored a double against recently promoted Arouca in a 3–0 victory.

2014–15 season

On 30 September 2014, Martínez came on as a substitute in a Champions League group stage match away to Shakhtar Donetsk, and the Ukrainian hosts gained a 2-0 lead. In the final minute and added time, he scored a penalty and then equalised for the final score of 2-2, which was dubbed "stunning" and "remarkable" by UEFA. In the quarter-final first leg on 15 April 2015, he scored the last goal in a 3–1 victory over Bayern Munich, also being fouled by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for the penalty that Ricardo Quaresma ultimately converted for the opening goal. Martínez netted again in the second leg six days later, heading a consolation from Héctor Herrera's cross as Porto lost 1–6 in Munich, thus being eliminated from the competition.

Atlético Madrid

Martínez had been reportedly linked with a move to Spanish side Atlético Madrid and, on 27 June 2015, he told the press the Madrid side deal was "done," also stating he was "excited about this move." It was later announced by Porto's official website that Atlético would pay the full release fee for Martínez, which would be worth €35 million. On 15 July, Atlético officially announced the transfer. He made his La Liga debut on 22 August, being substituted after an hour for Fernando Torres in a 1–0 home win over Las Palmas. A week later, Martínez came off the bench and scored his first goal for Atlético in a 3–0 victory over Sevilla.

Guangzhou Evergrande

On 3 February 2016, Martínez was transferred to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao with a fee of €42 million, a record for an Asian team. The record was broken two days later, when Alex Teixeira signed for Jiangsu Suning for £38.4 million. On 24 February 2016, he made his debut for Guangzhou Evergrande in the first match against Korean club Pohang Steelers. On 6 March 2016, Martínez scored in his Chinese Super League debut in an eventual 2–1 loss away at Chongqing Lifan.
In October 2016, after playing 16 games, Martínez suffered an ankle injury that ruled him out for two years.

Portimonense

On 31 August 2018, Martínez returned to Portugal's top flight, joining Portimonense on a season-long loan. The deal was subsequently made permanent, but only until the end of 2019. In January 2020, however, he signed a new contract with the Portuguese club, keeping him until 2022.

International career

A Colombian international at the age of 22, he scored his first international goal on 5 September 2009 against Ecuador in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. On 7 June 2011, he was selected by Hernán Darío Gómez to be a part of the squad-of-23 for the 2011 Copa América.
On 2 June 2014, Martínez was named in Colombia's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. After a substitute appearance in the team's opening match win over Greece, Martínez was selected to start in the final group game against Japan, scoring twice in a 4–1 win.
Martínez was also chosen for the 2015 Copa América in Chile.

Personal life

Martínez is a Christian. In September 2018, he released a seven-track Christian hip hop album titled No Temeré.

Career statistics

Club

1Includes Copa Colombia, Copa MX, Taça de Portugal, Taça da Liga, Copa del Rey and Chinese FA Cup
2Includes Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and AFC Champions League.
Source: y

International goals

Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.5 September 2009Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín, Colombia
1–0
2–0
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.9 September 2009Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay
1–1
1–3
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.10 October 2009Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín, Colombia
1–0
2-4
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
4.6 September 2011Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, United States
1–0
2–0
Friendly
5.16 October 2012Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia
1–0
3–0
Friendly
6.6 February 2013Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States
1–0
4–1
Friendly
7.6 February 2013Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States
2–0
4–1
Friendly
8.24 June 2014Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá, Brazil
2–1
4–1
2014 FIFA World Cup
9.24 June 2014Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá, Brazil
3–1
4–1
2014 FIFA World Cup

Honours

Club

Independiente Medellín
Jaguares de Chiapas
Porto
Guangzhou Evergrande