6 Jackson Arley Martínez Valencia (locally [ˈɟʝaksom maɾˈtines];[A] born 3 October 1986) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a striker.

He spent three years with the Mexican side before moving to Portugal to play for Porto, where he was the Primeira Liga's top scorer in all three of his seasons with the club.

Born in Quibdó in the Chocó Department, Martínez joined Independiente Medellín's youth academy in 2001 until being called up to the first team for the 2004 Finalización.

[7][3] Despite this setback, he bounced back and was the top goalscorer of the 2009 Torneo Finalizacion with 18 goals, including braces against Real Cartagena, América de Cali, Atlético Huila, and Envigado, while leading El Poderoso to its fifth league title with a goal in each leg of the finals against Huila.

[11] As a result, Martínez was eventually signed by Chiapas from the Liga MX on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee in January 2010.

In the 2011 Clausura, Martinez missed most of the season due to an injury he suffered in the Copa Libertadores match against Alianza Lima on 27 January, which ruled him out for almost three months.

[19] However, in the Copa Libertadores, Chiapas had much better form and Martínez was a key player for them, scoring in both legs of the round of 16 encounter against Colombian club Junior to help his team go through on away goals.

[20] Chiapas were eventually eliminated by Paraguayan side Cerro Porteño in the quarter finals, with the Colombian playing in the second leg.

Martínez was named captain of the squad at the beginning of the Clausura 2012 season, where he scored eight goals, with two braces again, this time in victories against Atlas and Queretaro.

[29] Martínez scored his first league goal on 25 August with a Panenka penalty against Vitória de Guimarães, with Porto winning the game 4–0.

[32][33] In the Champions League group stage on 24 October, Martínez scored his first two goals in European competitions, during a match which ended in a 3–2 victory for Porto against Dynamo Kyiv.

[37] In December, Spanish sports newspaper Marca ranked him number 8 in a list of the Top 10 South American players of 2012.

[42][43] He scored a brace on 23 February, including a penalty and a volley, to help Porto turn around a 0–1 deficit into a 2–1 victory against Rio Ave at Estádio do Dragão.

[64] On 30 September, he came on as a substitute in a Champions League group stage match away to Shakhtar Donetsk, and his team was trailing 2–0 to the Ukrainian hosts at the 85th minute.

[69] Martínez netted again in the second leg six days later, heading a consolation from Héctor Herrera's cross as Porto lost 1–6 at the Allianz Arena, thus being eliminated from the competition.

[72] Martínez was linked heavily with Arsenal, Milan, and other European clubs again following his departure from Porto,[73][74][75] but on 27 June 2015, he confirmed that he was moving to Spanish side Atlético Madrid.

[76] Four days later, it was announced on Porto's official website that Atlético were willing to pay the full €35 million release fee for the Colombian player.

[80] Martínez made his La Liga debut on 22 August, being substituted after an hour for Fernando Torres in a 1–0 home win over Las Palmas.

[86] On 12 November, while playing for the Colombia national team against Chile, he suffered an ankle injury and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher, which ruled him out for a month.

[92][93][94] On 3 February 2016, Martínez was transferred to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao with a fee of €42 million, a record for an Asian team.

[104] In March 2018, Guangzhou Evergrande terminated his contract and released him because of his chronic injuries, believing that there was no point of paying his salary if he could not play.

[110][111] On 7 December, he returned to the Estádio do Dragão for the first time since leaving Porto, playing 75 minutes and receiving a standing ovation by the fans and players as he was substituted.

Still troubled by his chronic ankle injuries, Martínez left Portimonense in August 2020, stating that he wanted to return to Independiente Medellín.

[126] The last time he was called up to the national team was for a 2018 World Cup qualification match against Chile on 12 November 2015, where he suffered an injury.

[131][132][133] Martínez also runs a foundation named after him, called "Fundacion Jackson Martinez", which aims to help kids living in poverty buy adequate football gear, play competitive matches, and get scouted.

[135] Noted BBC journalist Tim Vickery described him as "an out-and-out goalscorer, a front-to-goal centre-forward who can finish off both feet, and with an excellent jump that makes him an aerial threat.