Jackson Martínez returns at 39 with Independiente de Medellín, once an early Peter Lim target | OneFootball

Jackson Martínez has returned to football at 39 with Independiente de Medellín, the club where he came through. The Colombian had stepped away late in his career to focus on Christian rap, and his boyhood side need goals.

According to Superdeporte, his name was prominent at Valencia during Peter Lim’s early months as owner, a period that began with optimism after the sale to Meriton. Early moves included loans with options for Joao Cancelo, Rodrigo Moreno, André Gomes and Álvaro Negredo, while Enzo Pérez cost €25 million, balanced by sales of Jérémy Mathieu and Juan Bernat.

Executing purchase options in 2015/16 plus other signings, many of which failed, cost €144 million, offset in part by the €45 million Manchester City paid for Nicolás Otamendi.

Heavy outlays on Negredo and Aymen Abdennour, along with the previous spend on Enzo Pérez, weighed on the books for years, with poor returns on the pitch and financially.

That same summer, Valencia weighed a major move up front, perhaps to better the five league goals Negredo managed. Jackson Martínez, then in prolific form at Porto, had hit 31, 29 and 32 goals across three seasons.

Talks took place, but no formal offer followed as Atlético Madrid moved early in the window and convinced the player and his representative. After a slow adaptation in Madrid, Guangzhou paid €42 million five months after his arrival and took him to China during the league’s spending boom. Atlético capitalised on an opportunity Valencia did not take.

He later alternated time in China and Portugal before departing on a free ahead of retirement.

Source: Superdeporte

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”