It was pretty obvious that Jackson Martinez wasn’t really up for moving to China, the look on his face as he signed his contract was a giveaway. As everyone else around the player, including agent Jorge Mendes, beamed with delight at such a big deal, Martinez looked devastated.
Things had started going wrong when he left FC Porto. The Colombian had proven himself to be a goal machine, but he didn’t really fit in at Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
The Spanish club couldn’t believe their luck when Guangzhou Evergrande offered €47.75m, giving them a profit on the €35m that was paid to Porto. Martinez got big wages, and a more than gentle push toward the airport.
Unsurprisingly he wants out already. Spanish newspaper Sport say Liverpool are an option, as long as they sell both Mario Balotelli and Christian Benteke.
29 year old Martinez could probably be a good buy for someone, but given his Chinese club vastly overpaid for him, it makes things all the more difficult.
