Biography
Who is Jackson Martínez?
Early life and start at Medellín
Jackson Martínez was born in Quibdó, Colombia. He joined the youth academy of Independiente Medellín in 2001. He moved to the first team for the 2004 Finalización. His debut happened on October 3, 2004, in a match against Junior. He scored his first professional goal on November 11 against Deportivo Pereira. Between 2005 and 2007, he scored 12 goals.
He had a breakthrough in 2008 under manager Santiago Escobar. He scored 11 goals as the team finished runner-up in December 2008. In January 2009, he scored a hat-trick against Peñarol. He was the top goalscorer of the 2009 Torneo Finalizacion with 18 goals. This helped Independiente Medellín win their fifth league title.
Success in Mexico and Porto
In January 2010, Jackson signed a three-year contract with Chiapas. He scored two goals on January 30 against Tigres UANL. He finished his first season with nine goals. He served as the squad captain during the Clausura 2012 season. He scored eight goals in that period.
Porto signed him on July 7, 2012, for 8.8 million euros. He scored a winning goal in the 2012 Supertaça against Académica de Coimbra. In the league, he scored a Panenka penalty against Vitória de Guimarães. He scored a bicycle kick against Beira-Mar. He also scored a back-heel volley against Sporting. In the Champions League, he scored twice against Dynamo Kyiv. He won the Bola da Prata with 26 league goals. He was the leading scorer in the Primeira Liga for three seasons.
Later career and national team
Jackson Martínez joined Atlético Madrid in July 2015. Six months later, he moved to Guangzhou Evergrande in China. A serious ankle injury in late 2016 kept him out for nearly two years. This injury impacted the rest of his career. He played one last season with Portimonense in Portugal.
He ended his professional playing career in 2020. He returned to football in 2026 with Independiente Medellín. He represented the Colombia national team 40 times from 2009 to 2015. He scored nine international goals. He played in the 2011 and 2015 Copa América. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he scored two goals against Japan.
Jackson's height and personal life
Jackson stands 185 centimeters tall. He was born under the zodiac sign of Libra. He is a Colombian citizen. His full name is Jackson Arley Martínez Valencia. He grew up in the Chocó Department. He spent his early years in Quibdó.
Birthday and age
Jackson Martínez was born on October 3, 1986, which makes Jackson 40 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. Jackson shares the date with 40 other famous people.
Explore more
