Kalidou Koulibaly, captain of the Senegalese national team and former Chelsea defender, recently praised Nicolas Jackson. The Al-Hilal player sees a promising future for the Blues striker.
After arriving at Chelsea for 37 million euros over a year ago, Nicolas Jackson has had a roller-coaster start to his career. After a first season marked by mixed and criticized performances, the young Senegalese striker now seems to have found his feet in the Premier League. He has made a solid start to the 2024-2025 season, with 6 goals and 3 assists in just 9 games. At the age of 23, Jackson now seems ready to fully assume his goalscoring role with the London club, although his adaptation has taken some time.
Koulibaly, who himself played for Chelsea during the 2022-2023 season, understands the challenges Jackson has faced on arriving in England. “I talk to Nicolas a lot, because he’s my team-mate in the national team and a player I like. Edouard Mendy and I often talk to him to give him our support, because we know how difficult the move from Villarreal to Chelsea can be. I give him a lot of advice, and he listens to his elders,” he confided in an interview with GiveMeSport.
“A potential to make Senegalese history, like Sadio Mané”.
Despite promising statistics for his first season with Chelsea – 17 goals and 6 assists in 44 games in all competitions – Jackson has yet to fully convince everyone. Koulibaly, for his part, remains confident in his compatriot’s potential. “Nicolas is a very good player, but he’s still young. The standards at Chelsea are high, and everyone expects a lot, especially of young players. But he has the right attitude and a strong personality. In my opinion, he can make Senegalese history like Sadio Mané. I often tell him that he needs to take inspiration from Mané. With the talent he has, he can become the best player in Africa and, why not, aim even higher,” added Koulibaly.
“Dreaming of the Ballon d’Or
Koulibaly also encouraged Jackson to set his sights high, not least by one day aiming for the Ballon d’Or. “Nicolas has to believe in his potential. All the players who have won the Ballon d’Or have believed in themselves first. I’m not telling him to ignore his team-mates, but to set that objective in mind. With hard work, he can achieve great things. I hope he can match Mané’s performances and why not reach the top 3 of the Ballon d’Or. That would be incredible,” concludes Koulibaly, clearly excited by his young team-mate’s talent.
Such encouragement from a leading figure in the Senegalese national team is sure to motivate Nicolas Jackson, who seems determined to keep up his momentum in the Premier League and live up to the expectations placed in him.
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