Mario Jardel – Porto to Galatasaray, 2000 (€17m)
Fresh from winning the UEFA Cup, the Turkish team signed Jardel as a replacement for Hakan Suker, who was sold to Inter Milan.
He ended the campaign with 34 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions, but returned to Portugal after only one season, signing for Sporting CP.
Verdict: Hit
Lisandro Lopez – Porto to Lyon, 2009 (€28m)
Lisandro Lopez led the league for goals during the 2007/08 campaign. After two modest seasons at Porto, the Argentine found his goal groove during a prolific Primeira Liga campaign. He scored 24 goals in 27 games to win the Bola de Prata, but departed a year later to sign for Lyon.
Brought in as a replacement for Karim Benzema, Lopez hit the ground running. A 24-goal debut season was followed by sustained scoring sprees, as the forward fired 82 goals in 168 games.
Verdict: Hit
Hulk – Porto to Zenit St Petersburg, 2012 (€60m)
Hulk hammered in goals for fun in a Porto shirt, notching 77 in 170 games for the club. He was the Primeira Liga’s leading scorer in 2010-11 with 23 goals, part of 35 scored across all competitions for Andre Villas-Boas’ treble-winning team and ‘Invincible’ champions.
Incredibly, despite winning the Bola de Prata, he was outscored by teammate Radamel Falcao (39) across all competitions.
Europe’s top teams queued up for Hulk, but the Brazilian opted for Russia. He signed for Zenit St Petersburg for a €60m fee in September 2012.
He scored 77 goals in 148 games for Zenit and won three domestic trophies, including the Russian Premier League. A successful transfer, but potentially the wrong one for his own career.
Verdict: Hit
Jackson Martinez – Porto to Atletico Madrid, 2015 (€35m)
Porto’s production line of goalscorers unearthed another in Jackson Martinez. The Colombian claimed three consecutive Primeira Liga top scorer awards, plundering 92 goals over just three seasons.
In 2015, Atletico Madrid broke the bank to sign Martinez after activating his €35m release clause. The deal was a disaster, as Martinez scored just twice in 15 games.
Atletico recouped their investment when shipping Martinez off to the Chinese Super League, but his time with the club was a massive disappointment.
Verdict: Miss
Darwin Nunez – Benfica to Liverpool, 2022 (€75m)
Nunez had scored 34 goals in his final year in Lisbon, a figure he never came close to at Anfield. He had his moments in a red shirt, and won the Premier League in 2024-25, but failed to live up to initial expectations. After three seasons and 40 goals, he was sold to Al-Hilal.
Verdict: Miss
Viktor Gyokeres – Sporting to Arsenal (€63.5m)
A centre-forward was viewed as the missing piece of the puzzle for Arsenal last summer, who spent £54m to sign Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker’s explosive output persuaded the Gunners to spend big on his services.
Gyokeres has faced scrutiny during his first campaign, but is Arsenal’s leading scorer this season. The numbers are not quite the absurd return seen at Sporting, though 17 goals in all competitions has helped Arsenal to the top of the Premier League.
If the Gunners get over the line this season and end a 22-year title drought, it will be deemed a job well done.
