Mário Jardel de Almeida Ribeiro is a retired Brazilian professional footballer. Jardel
was most noted for his positioning on the field and "being at the right place, at the
right time". He was a legend for Grêmio, playing a major part in the squad that won
the 1995 Copa Libertadores. With his exceptional positioning ability, he was able to become
one of Europe's most prolific strikers during his time at FC Porto, Galatasaray, and Sporting
CP, scoring 266 goals in 274 games for those clubs.
After leaving Sporting in 2003, at 29 years old, Jardel had a succession of brief and
unsuccessful stints at clubs in England, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Argentina and Australia.
He then played several smaller clubs in Brazil before retiring in 2011.
Jardel made his debut for the Brazil national football team in 1996, making a total of 10
appearances and being selected for the 2001 Copa America.
Club career Brazil
Jardel played first for Vasco da Gama, but moved in 1995 to Grêmio, where he won the
1995 Copa Libertadores. Porto
In 1996, he was linked to several teams, and after failing to transfer to Benfica and Rangers,
he signed with Portuguese side FC Porto, where with help from players such as Zlatko Zahovič,
Sérgio Conceição, and Ljubinko Drulović, he was the top goalscorer in Europe for three
years, with a goal average of slightly over one goal per match. Although he was top scorer
three times, due to the use of coefficients based on each European league's standards,
he only won twice, the 1998–99 and 2001–02 European Golden Boots. He lost out to Kevin
Phillips in 1999–2000 despite Phillips having scored six fewer goals than Jardel.
Galatasaray Before the 2000–01 season he was traded
to the Turkish club Galatasaray, winners of UEFA Cup in 2000 as the club activated his
release clause. Scoring five goals in his debut match suggested
he 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 team that won the UEFA Super Cup, himself scoring twice to beat Real Madrid
2–1 in the SuperCup final, and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with
Jardel scoring six goals in the competition in victories against teams such as Milan and
Real Madrid. He ended the season with 22 goals. Sporting CP
In 2001–02, he returned to Portugal. Sporting Clube de Portugal signed him on the last day
of transfer windows and offered a contract worth €11 million in 3 seasons. Sporting
also gave Galatasaray Mbo Mpenza, Robert Spehar, Pavel Horváth, and US$5 million cash.
The 2001–02 season proved hugely successful to Jardel – he scored 42 goals in 30 games,
and Sporting won both the Portuguese Liga and the Portuguese Cup. He also won the Prize
"Player of the Year" by the Portuguese newspaper Record – one of the only two foreign players
to achieve this, the other being the Argentinian Lisandro López.
Decline While the 2001–02 season was arguably the
best of Jardel's career, the following 2002–03 season proved to be the beginning of the end.
Left off the Brazilian national team again, this time for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and
unfit at the start of the season, he spent the most of it on the injury list.
In the Christmas break, he returned to his native Fortaleza, where he injured his knee
in a swimming pool fall. He scored only nine goals that season. He was granted, alongside
Deco, Portuguese citizenship on February 2003. In August 2003, he moved to English side Bolton
Wanderers. Sporting would receive a transfer fee up to €1.5M based on his performance
in 2003–04 and 2004–05 season. However he failed to score a league goal for the club.
He did, however, score three goals in the English League Cup, where Bolton were eventually
losing finalists. These goals came in games against Walsall, where Jardel scored twice,
and against Liverpool at Anfield. During the winter break, he moved to Italian side Ancona,
but could not convince the staff of his physical capabilities. Ancona supporters called him
lardel due to him being overweight; an Italian journalist, about his debut opposite Milan,
said "We stretch a veil of silence in respect of what he has been"
In August 2004, Jardel signed a contract with Rosario side Newell's Old Boys in Argentina,
for which Bolton did not receive any fee. In September 2005, Jardel signed a contract
with Brazilian first-division side Goiás Esporte Clube until 31 December 2006.
Jardel was signed by Beira Mar for the 2006–07 season for an undisclosed fee. 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. In the winter transfer season, Jardel signed for the Cypriot team Anorthosis Famagusta.
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.
Newcastle Jets On 14 August 2007, Australian A-League side
Newcastle United Jets officially announced at a press conference in Newcastle that they
had signed Jardel on a one-year contract as their marquee player. Jardel was rumoured
to join the club for weeks before the official announcement was made. He arrived in Australia
on 12 August 2007 and traveled to Newcastle on 13 August.
Jardel worked hard on his fitness before arriving in Newcastle. He was unable to play for the
Jets in the first three rounds as he was in Australia on a tourist visa. He eventually
had his sport visa approved before the start of Round 4.
He made his debut as a substitute in the 70th minute at EnergyAustralia Stadium against
Adelaide United in Round 4. Newcastle won the match 1–0 with a strike from Mark Bridge
in the 81st minute. After joining the Jets, Jardel saw little
game time, usually making an appearance as a late substitute. Owner of Newcastle Jets
Con Constantine, who brought Jardel to Newcastle, expressed his desire for Jardel to stay on
the field for longer. Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond, however, was reluctant to give
the Brazilian a larger role. On 3 November 2007, Jardel played nearly 20
minutes against Sydney FC. He showed some positive signs, nearly equalising for Newcastle
with a trademark header from a Joel Griffiths corner kick. Sydney keeper Clint Bolton saved
the initial header before Jardel's follow-up was cleared off the line.
However, after showing glimpses of class, manager van Egmond perceived Jardel to be
surplus to requirements and was told he could leave the club half-way through the season.
He was reportedly being paid $3,000 a week by club owner Con Constantine. He left the
club on 24 January 2008 to be with his sick mother in Brazil. The Jets went on to win
the 2008 A-League Grand Final. Brazil lower divisions
On 29 June 2008, Jardel joined Campeonato Brasileiro Série B club Criciúma. He scored
four goals in the Brazilian Serie B season 2008. Unfortunately for Jardel his club, was
relegated from Serie B; finishing 18th with 41 points from 38 games.
Jardel joined to Ferroviário on 4 February 2009. 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
finisher ever to play on the Portuguese Liga. In August 2009 he signed a 6 month contract
with América de Fortaleza, but released on 30 October 2009.
On 20 January 2010, Jardel signed a contract until the end of 2010 Campeonato Piauiense
with Esporte Clube Flamengo. He became a free agent on 10 June 2010.
Cherno More On 27 June 2010, Jardel arrived in Varna,
Bulgaria in order to negotiate terms with Bulgarian club Cherno More Varna. A day later,
on 28 June 2010, Jardel signed a one-year contract with the Sailors and was officially
presented as a new signing of the club. Jardel was welcomed by 500 fans at his presentation
at the Ticha Stadium. He made his new club debut on 17 July, in a friendly match against
Romanian side Victoria Brăneşti, with the match ending in a 2–2 draw.
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. In the next round of A PFG Mário played 26 minutes as a substitute for a 1–0
home win against Akademik Sofia. On 31 October 2010, he scored his first goal for the Bulgarian
team, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Lokomotiv Sofia. On 28 November 2010,
it was reported that Jardel had left Cherno More due to concerns pertaining to the cold
weather conditions in Bulgaria. Atlético Rio Negro Clube
On 21 December 2010, it was reported that Jardel signed a one-year deal with Atlético
Rio Negro Clube from Manaus, Amazonas. International career
Jardel capped for the national team first when he was 19 years old. In March 1993, Jardel
capped one time for the Brazil national under-20 football team during the FIFA U-20 World Cup
in Australia. Brazil became champions of the tournament.
Jardel's debut for the Seleçao was as a substitute replacing Ronaldo during a friendly game against
Russia in August 1996. He was also a part of the national team squad during the Copa
América tournament in 2001. Honours
Club Vasco da Gama
Campeonato Carioca: 1992, 1993, 1994 Grêmio
Copa Libertadores: 1995 Recopa Sudamericana: 1996
Campeonato Gaúcho: 1995, 1996 F.C. Porto
Portuguese Liga: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99 Taça de Portugal: 1998, 2000
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1996, 1998, 1999
Galatasaray S.K. UEFA Super Cup: 2000
Sporting Portuguese Liga: 2001–02
Taça de Portugal: 2002 Newell's Old Boys
Primera División Argentina: 2004 Goiás
Campeonato Goiano: 2006 Anorthosis Famagusta
Cypriot Cup: 2007 International
Brazil U-20 FIFA World Youth Championship: 1993
Individual Copa Libertadores Top Scorer: 1995
Primeira Liga Top Scorer: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02
Taça de Portugal Top Scorer: 1997-98, 1999-00, 2001-02
European Golden Shoe: 1998–99, 2001–02 UEFA Champions League top goalscorer: 1999–2000
References
External links Yahoo! Sport profile
CBF