'He has the talent': Former Chelsea star gives Nicolas Jackson Ballon d'Or award
Nicolas Jackson is expected to win the Ballon d'Or during his career.
He Chelsea The striker has silenced his doubters this season, establishing himself as the club's starting striker and one of the best in the Premier League.
jackson joined the Blues from Villarreal last summer in a £32m deal.
The 23-year-old has been widely derided for his profligacy in finishing since his arrival from Spain, but has been in impressive form so far this season with nine direct goal contributions (six goals, three assists) in as many. Premier League matches.
He has 23 goals and nine assists in 54 total appearances for the west Londoners.
And as his stock rises at Stamford Bridge, an international team-mate and former Chelsea player has tipped Jackson to become one of the best players in the world.
Kalidou Koulibalywho spent the 2022/23 season with the blues, revealed that he has been giving advice to his compatriot.
The defender exclusively told talkSPORT: “For me, Nicolás can be a very good player.
“He's still young, everyone wanted more from him last year, but they forget that he's a young player.
“We spoke a lot with Edouard Mendy because we know that it is difficult to get from Villarreal to a big club like Chelsea.
“For me, Nicolas Jackson is a player who could be very good, a very nice player.
“At Chelsea the demand is very high. They want many goals, many assists, to be a very good player from the beginning. But we know that Nicolas can be very good.”
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Koulibaly even believes Jackson will one day be able to lift the coveted Ballon d'Or as European football's best player, following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rodri, the 2024 winner.
The Al-Hilal defender, speaking to talkSPORT's Ben Jacobs in Saudi Arabia, said: “It will be very important to let time speak because he showed it from the beginning.
“He's already scored seven goals, that's really good for a player like him and I hope he keeps scoring.
“We know that for a striker life is goals and he knows it. He has a good attitude, a good personality, which is important in a club like Chelsea.
“And for me he will make the history of Senegal, I tell him that all the time, like Sadio Mané did.
“He has the talent to do it and I hope he is part of the best players in Africa and why not the world. I try to give him advice but he has all the talent at his feet to do it and I hope he will.”
Jackson has played alongside Koulibaly 15 times for Senegal so far in his career.
He would become the first Senegalese winner of the Ballon d'Or, as Sadio Mane came second in 2022 during his career with Liverpool.
Meanwhile, former Liberian striker George Weah He is the only African winner after receiving the award in 1995.
