Where Did It All Go Wrong for Jackson Martinez at Atletico Madrid?

Just six months after a huge money move from FC Porto to Atletico Madrid, Jackson Martinez has ditched Europe and the Champions League and completed a transfer to China, joining Guangzhou Evergrande for €42 million, giving Atleti around a €7 million profit on a player who flopped for them completely.

Hailed upon arrival as a ready-to-go, in-his-prime addition to a young squad full of hunger and as yet unrealised potential, Jackson should have been a guaranteed starter and source of goals for Los Rojiblancos—yet made only eight starts in La Liga and scored only three goals in all competitions.

The Colombian never looked a good fit for Diego Simeone's team once he had joined, so why did it all go wrong?

Playing Style

Early warning signs could be seen in the first few matches, but it could be expected that a period of adaptation would be required. The problem was, ultimately, that Jackson never actually progressed to adapting.

There were frequent instances where he would drop deep, back to goal, looking to receive a pass to feet—an entirely ineffective part of his game when considering his great strengths at Porto were in running behind the defence, looking for crosses or passes over the top of the defence and getting early shots away.

Asking the No. 11 to turn and either create his own chances or look to spread play and attack from the second line was never on the cards, and he rarely fitted in with Antoine Griezmann in fashioning a partnership.

JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images

As time went on, Jackson's runs into the penalty box became less frequent, his shots were hurried or not taken at all when the chance was there, and his first touch evaporated entirely as confidence and self-belief departed.

Atletico do play on the counter-attack, sometimes from a high midfield position and at other times from deep in their own half, but he never really contributed to the intense off-the-ball work rate required from the manager and certainly never showed himself to be an outlet for the team or a spearhead for the attack.

Key Mental Attributes

To succeed under Simeone, aggression and resilience are required. He will take you out of the team if you don't perform and haven't quite got to grips with the tactics required, but that's not to say he'd ignore those players. They were—and still are—given time to adjust their way of playing before being brought back into the side.

It happened with Griezmann last year, with Yannick Carrasco this term, while the same would have been done for Jackson had he shown any of the mental fortitude required.

GERARD JULIEN/Getty Images

He didn't, and that has to be a big disappointment to everyone involved at the club, who would have hoped—given the initial outlay—that they had covered all the bases on his move from Porto.

When coming on as substitute, there was never any surge of pace or power, attacking impetus or fresh energy from Jackson, quite in contrast to when Simeone brought on Angel Correa, for example.

The need to impress and win back a place in the team should be there from any squad member, but Jackson never showed that kind of determination.

He played just 1,051 minutes of action for Atletico all told, out of the 3,060 total available while he was at the Vicente Calderon.

Easy Option?

There was, of course, still time for a comeback, but it appears all parties have decided it would never happen.

For the club, after the six months the striker had put in, they must have been believing they'd make a tremendous loss when selling him on—so a big bid from China and the chance to make a profit was a sound business decision, one which they clearly jumped on.

For Jackson, the lack of self-belief surely plays a part too, while the riches on offer and the poorer league to compete in will both be factors in trying to win back his best form and happiness on the pitch. 

A Marca report claimed one of his Atletico team-mates said: "He believed more in God than in himself. The pressure got to him, he never looked confident."

MIGUEL RIOPA/Getty Images

Perhaps the soundbite is a legitimate one, but the entire article is completely at odds with Diego Simeone's press conference, per Marca, where the manager took responsibility for Jackson failing to integrate into the team and observes that they both spoke about the situation clearly.

Jackson himself speaks the truth—though perhaps only a part of it—when he told the club website (h/t Marca), "We have agreed that this is the best for all of us."

It'll be best for Atletico, but only if they reinvest wisely and this time find a striking solution who will deliver goals. It'll be best for Guangzhou, but only if they get a striker who performs and this time lives up to the price tag. And it'll be best for the striker himself, but only if he rediscovers form and pushes himself to succeed, because his time in La Liga was a complete failure.

Follow @karlmatchett