Gyokeres makes Sporting return for Champions League clash as we rate Primeira Liga top scorers’ success after blockbuster transfers | OneFootball

Viktor Gyokeres makes his return to Sporting CP tonight, when Arsenal take on the Portuguese side in the Champions League.

Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting over two seasons before a £54m transfer to thePremier League.

He's not the first player to earn a big move after prolific form inPortugal, but not all have been a success.

We've remembered some previousPrimeira Liga top scorers and judged how they fared after high-profile transfers.

Mario Jardel - Porto to Galatasaray, 2000 (€17m)

Mario Jardel produced a quite bonkers goal record in the Primeira Liga, with four consecutive campaigns as the league's top scorer between 1996 and 2000. Jardel scored 169 goals in just 175 games for Porto, prompting Galatasaray to shatter their transfer record to land him.

Fresh from winning the UEFA Cup, the Turkish team signed Jardel as a replacement for Hakan Suker, who was sold to Inter Milan.

Jardel marked his debut with five goals against Erzurumspor and netted twice as Galatasaray beat Real Madrid 2-1 in theUEFA Super Cup final.

He ended the campaign with 34 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions, but returned to Portugal after only one season, signing for Sporting CP.

Lisandro Lopez - Porto to Lyon, 2009 (€28m)

Lisandro Lopez led the league for goals during the 2007/08 campaign. After two modest seasons at Porto, the Argentine found his goal groove during a prolific Primeira Liga campaign. He scored 24 goals in 27 games to win the Bola de Prata, but departed a year later to sign for Lyon.

Brought in as a replacement for Karim Benzema, Lopez hit the ground running. A 24-goal debut season was followed by sustained scoring sprees, as the forward fired 82 goals in 168 games.

Hulk - Porto to Zenit St Petersburg, 2012 (€60m)

Hulk hammered in goals for fun in a Porto shirt, notching 77 in 170 games for the club. He was the Primeira Liga's leading scorer in 2010-11 with 23 goals, part of 35 scored across all competitions for Andre Villas-Boas' treble-winning team and 'Invincible' champions.

Incredibly, despite winning the Bola de Prata, he was outscored by teammate Radamel Falcao (39) across all competitions.

Europe's top teams queued up for Hulk, but the Brazilian opted for Russia. He signed for Zenit St Petersburg for a €60m fee in September 2012.

He scored 77 goals in 148 games for Zenit and won three domestic trophies, including the Russian Premier League. A successful transfer, but potentially the wrong one for his own career.

Jackson Martinez - Porto to Atletico Madrid, 2015 (€35m)

Porto's production line of goalscorers unearthed another in Jackson Martinez. The Colombian claimed three consecutive Primeira Liga top scorer awards, plundering 92 goals over just three seasons.

In 2015, Atletico Madrid broke the bank to sign Martinez after activating his €35m release clause. The deal was a disaster, as Martinez scored just twice in 15 games.

Atletico recouped their investment when shipping Martinez off to the Chinese Super League, but his time with the club was a massive disappointment.

Verdict: Miss

Darwin Nunez - Benfica to Liverpool, 2022 (€75m)

Impressed byDarwin Nunez's performances for Benfica against his side in Europe, Jurgen Klopp made the forward his primary transfer target. Liverpool spent an initial £64m on the Uruguayan, in a deal that could potentially rise to a club record £85m fee.

Nunez had scored 34 goals in his final year in Lisbon, a figure he never came close to at Anfield. He had his moments in a red shirt, and won the Premier League in 2024-25, but failed to live up to initial expectations. After three seasons and 40 goals, he was sold to Al-Hilal.

Viktor Gyokeres - Sporting to Arsenal (€63.5m)

A centre-forward was viewed as the missing piece of the puzzle for Arsenal last summer, who spent £54m to sign Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker's explosive output persuaded the Gunners to spend big on his services.

Gyokeres has faced scrutiny during his first campaign, but is Arsenal's leading scorer this season. The numbers are not quite the absurd return seen at Sporting, though 17 goals in all competitions has helped Arsenal to the top of the Premier League.

If the Gunners get over the line this season and end a 22-year title drought, it will be deemed a job well done.