10 of the worst strikers to have played in the Premier League

#5 Mario Jardel (Bolton Wanderers)

Jardel, a two-time European golden boot winner with Porto and Sporting, scored just 3 goals in 11 appearances for the Trotters

If you thought Afonso Alves the worst Brazilian striker to have played football in England, you are mistaken for there was the phenomenon known as Mario Jardel.

Jardel had established himself as a legend in Brazil, Turkey as well as Portugal with his ability in front of the goal for the likes of Vasco Da Gama, Gremio, Porto, Galatasaray, and Sporting, having scored 269 goals in 275 appearances. The striker had won the European golden boot in 1998-99 and 2001-02 with Porto and Sporting respectively and when Bolton signed him at the beginning of the 2003-04 season, the fans of the club were ecstatic.

However, it proved to be a move that tarnished the player’s image as he made just 11 appearances for the Trotters and scored a meagre 3 goals and was allowed to join Italian side Ancona in the winter transfer window of the same season, yes you read that right. It was perhaps one of the swiftest downfalls experienced by any in the game of football as the Brazilian went from being a feared entity to a subject of footballing jokes in a matter of a few months.

In hindsight, the move to Bolton came at a time when Jardel was already past his prime and despite the club finishing a respectable 8th in the season, it was largely due to the efforts of a certain Kevin Nolan and not the Brazilian who was expected to score goals for fun.