Jardel on his glory days: "Born to score, not to play pretty" | OneFootball

More than two decades have passed since the peak of his career, but Mário Jardel continues to be synonymous with goals in Portugal. The former Brazilian forward, who stood out playing for FC Porto, Sporting, and Beira-Mar, scored 239 goals in 251 matches in Portuguese football – a record few have matched.

In an interview with the podcast Sem Filtros, from Liga Portugal, Jardel once again recalled the golden years and the special relationship he created with the fans.

Recalling the period at FC Porto, he explained the role he had in the penalty area: “At FC Porto, I saw that the ball would come, and I stayed calm. I just said: ‘put the ball in the area, and I'll take care of it’. I was born to score goals, not to play well. When people tell me on the street ‘you played really well’, I say ‘the ones who played really well were Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Deco’. I scored goals,” he recounted, laughing.

The former forward, now 52 years old, also confessed that he fondly remembers the Dragão and Alvalade stadiums: “The stadiums where I liked to score the most were, obviously, the Estádio do Dragão and the Estádio José Alvalade. FC Porto and Sporting are like two children to me,” he stated.

Even so, he doesn't forget the pleasure of scoring on the rival's ground: “I also liked scoring at the Estádio da Luz, just so Benfica fans wouldn't be too sad,” he joked, before revealing that he was “close to wearing the Benfica jersey twice” – once before signing with FC Porto in 1996, and again in 2000, when he was an electoral promise of Manuel Vilarinho.

With four national championships, three Portuguese Cups, and four Super Cups in his record, Jardel maintains a strong connection with Portugal: “When I go to Portugal, I receive a lot of affection, and here in Fortaleza, there are many Portuguese people. Portugal is a home for me. I have two Portuguese children, who were born in Porto – one a Benfica fan and the other a Porto fan (laughs). Even Benfica fans show me affection on the street.”

In the same conversation, the former goal scorer also talked about his time at Galatasaray in 2000, a phase between his stints at FC Porto and Sporting, which he considers “remarkable, but brief.”

Mário Jardel, one of the best finishers Portuguese football has known, looks back at the past with the same simplicity with which he played: “I scored goals. That was what I knew how to do best.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.