Jackson Arley Martínez Valencia (born 3 October 1986), known as Jackson Martínez, is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish club Atlético Madrid and the Colombia national team.
He is often named Cha Cha Cha for his dance-like moves on the pitch. 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 at Porto.
Since 2009, he has represented Colombia at international level, playing at the 2011 and 2015 Copa Américas, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Club career
Independiente Medellín
In 2009 he became the top goalscorer for the season, with 18 goals in the Colombian league. He also led Independiente Medellín to their 5th 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 scorers table. In the Copa Libertadores 2011, Martínez was a key player for Chiapas as they reached the quarter-finals. He was named captain of Chiapas F.C. at the beginning of the Clausura 2012 season. He did very well scoring over thirty goals for the season. Along with his performances for the Colombia national football team, his outstanding performances in Mexico subsequently led to interest from Portuguese team Porto.
Porto
2012–13 season
On 7 July 2012, Martínez signed with Porto for US $11 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, scoring his first goal. He would score in the 90th minute which gave Porto their 19th victory of the tournament. He was named as the man of the match.
He 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. The second league goal came on 1 September against Olhanense with the game finishing 2–3 for Porto. In his next league match against Beira-Mar, he scored a bicycle kick from a chipped pass by fellow countryman James Rodríguez. In gameweek 5, Martinez saved Porto from a 2–1 loss scoring in the 90th minute in an away game against Rio Ave. Against rivals Sporting CP, Jackson scored with a stunning back heel volley in an 2–0 win. During the third round of the 2012–13 champions league group stage, Jackson 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. Martínez continued his goal streak in a 2–1 victory over Estoril, scoring one goal and assisting the other.
With 11 goals in 12 matches, he eclipsed the record of former Porto strikers Radamel Falcao, Lisandro López and Hulk. He became known as "Jackshow Martínez" in Portugal, which was coined by journalist João Ruela. In 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 the months of October and November.
In the final round of the Champions League group stage, Martínez scored a goal against Paris Saint-Germain in a 2–1 defeat. Despite the loss, Porto advanced to the next round as the second-placed club in their group. Against Moreirense, he scored a goal following an assist from James Rodríguez.
In the beginning of the second half of the league, Jackson scored a header in a 1–0 victory over Nacional. Jackson played in the O Clássico against rivals Benfica where he scored in a 2–2 draw. In the delayed match against Vitória de Setúbal, Jackson scored a double, one via the penalty spot. In his next match, he sealed a 5–0 victory with a 90th minute goal against Gil Vicente. He scored a hat-trick against Vitória de Guimarães which included 2 headers making it his first hat-trick for Porto. Jackson had at this time scored 18 goals in 17 matches in the Portuguese Liga. Jackson continued his goal scoring streak by scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Olhanense. He scored a goal against Beira-Mar a week later. Martinez added 2 more goals, against Rio Ave, including a penalty and a volley following a cross by James Rodríguez. Martínez was elected for the FebruarySJPF Player of the Month.
Martínez made his Taça da Liga debut in the 2012–13 Taça da Liga semi-finals against Rio Ave, where he failed to score a goal. Regardless, Porto won the match 4–0 and advanced to the finals. He ended his goal drought in a 0–3 away victory over Moreirense, where he scored a brace.
In the final match of the league season against Paços de Ferreira, Martínez sealed the 2–0 victory with scoring the second goal and assuring Porto's third consecutive league title (Benfica also won their last match). The goal marked his 26th goal in the league, securing him top goalscoring honours. With winning the Portuguese SuperCup earlier in the season, finishing as top goal scorer, and winning the league title (in just his debut season playing not only for Porto but in Europe), Martínez had a very successful season debut.
ESPN noted Martínez as one of the best signings for the 2012–13 season following his successful 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 C.S. 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 F.C.. He added another goal from a pass from Lucho González in a 2–2 draw against Estoril on 22 September. Martínez then scored a double against F.C. 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 which Ricardo Quaresma converted for the opening goal. He netted again in the second leg six days later, heading a consolation from Héctor Herrera's cross as Porto lost 1–6 and were eliminated by Bayern.
Martinez has been reportedly linked with a move to 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".
Atlético Madrid
On 30 June 2015, Porto announced that Martínez had joined Atlético Madrid for €35 million.
International career
A Colombian international at the age of 22, he has become a regular feature in his nation's qualification and friendly games. 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.
source: wikipedia
