With his exceptional positioning ability, he was able to become one of Europe's most prolific strikers during his time at Porto, Galatasaray, and Sporting CP, scoring 206 goals in 274 matches for those clubs.
After leaving Sporting CP in 2003 at age 29, Jardel had a succession of brief and unsuccessful stints at clubs in England, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Argentina and Australia.
[2][3] Scoring five goals in his debut match in the Süper Lig suggested Jardel would adapt well to his new club, but towards the end of the season, injuries and growing personal problems hinted he was soon going to leave Turkey.
Regardless, he was part of the Galatasaray squad that won the 2000 UEFA Super Cup, himself scoring twice with a golden goal to beat Real Madrid 2–1 in the Super Cup match, and reached the quarter-finals of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, with Jardel scoring six goals in the competition and helped in victories against teams such as Rangers, Deportivo de La Coruña, Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Milan and Real Madrid.
In 2001–02, Jardel returned to Portugal; Sporting CP signed him on the last day of transfer window and offered a contract worth €11 million over three seasons.
[5] The 2001–02 season proved hugely successful for Jardel, as he scored 42 goals in 30 matches (17 via penalties)[6] as Sporting CP won both the Primeira Liga and the Taça de Portugal.
Again omitted from the Brazil national team squad, this time for the 2002 FIFA World Cup (despite his tremendous goal-scoring abilities he was rarely called up), and unfit at the start of the season, he spent the year on the injury list.
[7] In August 2003, Jardel moved to English club Bolton Wanderers, with Sporting CP to receive a transfer fee up to €1.5 million based on his performances in the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons.
[17] Despite arriving at the club overweight, he worked hard and trained specifically to lose weight and gain physical form and scored one goal on his debut for Beira-Mar in a 2–2 draw against Desportivo das Aves.
On 14 July 2007, Jardel played for Scottish Premier League club St Mirren, as a trialist in a 3–0 win over first division side Stirling Albion.
[27] However, after showing glimpses of class, manager van Egmond perceived Jardel to be surplus to requirements and was told he could leave the club halfway through the season.
On 11 March 2009, Jardel made his Ferroviário debut with a very classy goal, a reminder of his past years of glory as one of the best finishers ever to play on the Portuguese Liga.
Jardel made his competitive debut for the Sailors during the 2010–11 season on 7 August 2010 in a 0–2 away loss against Lokomotiv Plovdiv, coming on as a substitute for compatriot Marco Tiago.
On 28 November 2010, it was reported that Jardel had left Cherno More, in part due to concerns pertaining to the cold weather conditions in Bulgaria.
[37] According to Brazil's Public Prosecutor's Office, Jardel and 10 other people have extorted staff, nominated fake members and diverted funds for their own benefit.
The Prosecutor's Office finished the accusation in February 2016 as a result of the investigation started in 2015 (Operação Gol Contra), triggering the process to terminate Jardel's term in the Chamber of Deputies.
[39] Vasco da Gama Grêmio Porto Galatasaray Sporting CP Newell's Old Boys Goiás Anorthosis Newcastle Jets Brazil U20 Individual