Atletico Madrid have moved to strengthen their forward line for next season following the exit of Mario Mandzukic by buying Colombia striker Jackson Martinez from Porto.
Martinez, 28, was presented on Sunday at the Vicente Calderon stadium and welcomed by a few thousand fans.
“From the first day I felt I had landed in a committed team, a hungry team, a team that demands a lot. A demanding technical team that demands respect for what they are,” Martinez said after he was presented to the media by Atletico President Enrique Cerezo.
He had a contract with the Portuguese club until the end of the 2016-17 season and Atletico agreed to pay his buyout clause worth 35 million euros ($39 million), Porto said on their website (www.fcporto.pt).
When asked how many goals he planned to score Martinez said ironically, “It’s like asking you how many interviews you will do.”
“What I want to do is work every day in order for the team to achieve its objective and personally I know the scoring will happen through the collective work I am sure the team will perform,” he added.
Diego Simeone’s side were in the market for a striker after they sold Croatia international Mandzukic to Italian champions Juventus.
Simeone is looking to rebuild after Atletico failed to reach the heights of 2013-14, when they won their first La Liga title in 18 years and came close to beating Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
Martinez said Atletico had a team that could achieve success.
“Atletico has a team to be able to do that. We have to do it on the pitch, everything requires work and everything has a cycle and things are being done to achieve the objectives,” the Colombian told the media.
Martinez graduated from the Independiente Medellin youth academy to the first team before joining Mexico’s Chiapas Jaguares in January 2010 and then moving to Porto in 2012.
A versatile player who is adept at shooting with either foot and is strong in the air, he was the leading scorer in Portugal’s top flight in each of his three seasons, scoring 26 goals in 2012-13, 20 in 2013-14 and 21 in 2014-15. He played 136 official matches overall and scored 92 goals.
This summer, Martinez featured for Colombia at the Copa America.
