Former Porto Man Claims He’d Be Worth £200 Million in Today’s Market

Mário Jardel, famously known as “Super Mário” for his prolific goal-scoring abilities, believes he’d be valued at £200 million if he played in today’s football era.

Twice awarded the Golden Boot – first with FC Porto and then with Sporting Lisbon – Jardel was a master in the art of scoring goals, particularly with his head. Despite his incredible success in Portugal, the former striker admited to Portuguese media to feeling hurt by both Porto and Sporting for the way they’ve treated him in recent years.

In his four seasons at FC Porto, Jardel consistently scored more than 30 goals each season, with his final year at the club resulting in a remarkable 56 goals in 51 games, earning him the European Golden Boot. His success continued at Sporting, where he netted 55 goals in 42 games during his debut season. In between, Jardel enjoyed a stint at Galatasaray, where he scored 34 goals and won the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid’s ‘Galácticos,’ which included football legend Luís Figo.

Reflecting on his career, Jardel said, “I didn’t score many with my feet, but with my head, it was a sure thing. I’d just ask my teammates to put the ball in the box, and from there, it was down to me.” When considering his place in football history, Jardel remains confident about his talents: “I’ve never seen a better header of the ball than me. Not even close. Let’s imagine I played today, scoring 30 or 40 goals per season? I’d be worth £200 million easily.”

Jardel also expressed frustration when seeing modern strikers from top teams finishing seasons with fewer than 15 goals, saying, “It’s disappointing. No comments.”

Despite being one of the greatest strikers to play in Portugal and winning the Golden Boot twice while playing for both FC Porto and Sporting, Jardel reveals a strained relationship with both clubs today. “Whenever I visit Portugal and try to attend a Porto or Sporting match, I never receive an invitation. I end up watching the game from a friend’s private box. That saddens me. It’s not what you’d expect, given my history with these clubs,” he admitted.

Jardel doesn’t hide his disappointment at the lack of recognition from Porto and Sporting. He believes his personal struggles, particularly his well-documented issues with drugs, may still overshadow his incredible football achievements. “People seem to focus more on that part of my past than on everything I accomplished with these clubs. I won them titles and earned them millions, but none of that seems to count,” he said.

In contrast, Jardel shared how he still feels respected by Galatasaray, despite spending only one season at the Turkish club. “Whenever I go back to Galatasaray, I’m treated with the utmost respect. I’d love for it to be like that in Portugal, but unfortunately, it isn’t,” he added.

The former striker highlighted the cold relationship he now has with FC Porto, citing an example involving Jorge Costa, his former teammate and now general manager of professional football at the club. “I called him saying I wanted to see a match, and he replied that all the tickets were sold out,” Jardel said, clearly upset.

Jardel’s frustrations are not just limited to club football. Despite his goal-scoring heroics in Europe and winning two Golden Boots, his relationship with the Brazilian national team was always challenging. “Someone once said I was the most wasted forward in the history of the national team,” Jardel revealed.

He believes his style of play may have been a reason for his limited chances with Brazil, explaining, “My game wasn’t typical for the Brazilian team. I was a pure penalty-box striker, unlike others who moved around more. I think that worked against me.”

Despite the highs and lows of his career, Mário Jardel’s legacy as one of the best goal-scorers in European football remains intact. However, his sense of betrayal by clubs he gave so much to, and the missed opportunities with Brazil, clearly still weigh heavily on his mind.


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