By Edward Francis Dalliah
Born in The Gambia and now representing Senegal, Nicolas Jackson has captured the imagination of football fans across the continent with his impressive performances since joining Chelsea in the 2023 summer transfer window. Jackson’s impressive goal against Newcastle United and his outstanding one-two assists with Mykhailo Mudryk vs Brighton and Hove have got fans purring for some more action from the Senegalese striker.
In June 2023, Chelsea signed an eight-year contract with the former Villarreal forward worth £30.1 Million after he netted 12 goals and assisted 4 in the 2022/2023 Spanish La Liga. The former La Liga striker also won a Man of the Match award in the previous season. The 22-year-old rising Senegalese star made his first appearance for the Blues in a pre-season match against Brighton and Hove Albion, raising the hopes of Chelsea supporters.
Coming from the bench in the second half of the game, he provided two assists and scored one winning the game for the Blues 4-3. Despite the youngster coming in the 63rd minute of the game, his excellent performance won him his first Man of the Match award in a Chelsea shirt. The Club posted a video of him on Twitter, where he expressed his gratitude to the fans saying thank you “for making me man of the match, am very very happy. I hope many more to come, so take care, [what an] amazing night”.
Nicolas Jackson was born in The Gambia in the year 2001 and eventually moved to Ziguinchor located in the Cassamance region of Senegal. It’s not clear if his parents are both Senegalese as reported by Wikipedia. It’s not clear if Jackson played for Waa Banjul before moving to Senegal where his football career took off. What is certain is that he played for ASC Tilene and Cassa Sports which are both in Ziguinchor, Senegal.
His dazzling dribbling skills and lightning-fast pace usually give him the edge over his opponents. Clearly demonstrating the ability to take the ball into the opposition’s box Jackson usually unselfishly finds the right pass for an assist or the right strike taking the keeper by surprise. Although bigger than the Brazilian football maestro Neymar Jnr, Jackson’s attributes have drawn comparisons with the PSG Striker.
Jackson’s star continued to shine ever so brighter when he was called up to the Senegalese National Team to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. During Chelsea’s 2023 Pre-Season of the United States Jackson demonstrated his quick footwork in the box as he teed up Gallagher for an impressive third goal vs Brighton. He rounded up the goals with a strike against Brighton after an incisive pass and run from the right winger which he finished with a strike to the top right corner of the net.
After a bad performance last season from Chelsea who finished mid-table [12th] with forty-four points, Jackson may just be the wild card transfer to thrive under new Chelsea Boss Mauricio Pochettino. With Nicolas’ excellent start and the positive performance of other Chelsea singings, fans would be itching to see the Chelsea striker replicate the impact which Ivoirian Football Legend Didier Drogba had for the club.
