Former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly has tipped Nicolas Jackson to win the Ballon d’Or in the future if he ‘continues to work’ and deliver on his undoubted potential.
Jackson, 23, received widespread criticism for a lack of consistency following a £32million from move Villarreal, though finished his debut season in the Premier League with 14 goals to his name.
While many young players may have wilted under the intense scrutiny, Jackson has bounced back and silenced his doubters this term, racking up six goals and three assists in the English top flight.
An in-form Jackson will no doubt be licking his lips ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Old Trafford, where Maresca’s men will look to inflict yet more suffering on a managerless Manchester United.
Jackson’s international colleague, Koulibaly, understands more than most the pressures that comes with being a Chelsea player having left the club after one underwhelming season last year.
The centre-back, now with Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal, is delighted to see his fellow countryman respond from a ‘difficult’ start to become a key player under Enzo Maresca.
‘I speak all the time with Nicolas because he’s my international team-mate. He’s a young player who I like. I speak a lot with him,’ Koulibaly told GiveMeSport.
‘Nicolas can be a very good player. Edouard Mendy and me, we talk with him a lot because we know how difficult it is arriving from Villarreal to a big club like Chelsea.
‘I give him a lot of advice because he deserves it, and he listens to his elders.
‘Nicolas is a very nice player. Everyone wanted more from him last year, but he is young.
‘It’s true that at Chelsea the demand is very high. They want a lot of goals, assists and players to be very good from the beginning.’
Koulibaly has been telling Jackson ‘all the time’ that he can become one of the best players on the planet with a little more self-confidence.
‘I hope he will continue to score. We know for all strikers life is goals and Nicolas is no different,’ he added.
‘He has a good attitude and personality. And for me, he’ll become the story of Senegal, just like Sadio Mane did. I am always telling him he has to follow Mane.
‘I hope he will be the best player in Africa and why not in the world? He has the talent, so all things are at his feet.
‘Nicolas has to believe he can be this good. That is the most important thing. All the players who have won the Ballon d’Or believed they could. They all thought they could win this trophy. So you have to put this in Nicolas’ head.
‘Of course, I don’t tell him to be selfish and ignore his team-mates, but he has to think about the Ballon d’Or, and if you put this image in his head, he can achieve it. And that’s what I tell him all the time.’
The Senegal captain continued: ‘Nicolas has to think he can be the best in Senegal and one of the best in the world and then he will become one of the best in the world.
‘He has to continue to work. With work, he can reach every objective.
‘So I hope he will do at least what Mane did, and be in the top three of the Ballon d’Or. That would be really amazing for him.’
Koulibaly greatly ‘enjoyed’ his brief spell in the Premier League with Chelsea but has no regrets about leaving for Saudi Arabia a year ago.
‘I enjoyed my time at Chelsea. It’s true it was a little short. I couldn’t show all my potential. But I am happy for them now. There’s a better feeling at the club. Things are going good,’ he went on.
‘There are a lot players over there, including Nicolas, who I speak to and I follow. I like to see Chelsea at this level. They have had a few difficult years, but there is a new stability there now under Enzo Maresca. I am happy for them and maybe we are going to meet in the Club World Cup next summer.
‘Throughout my career, I don’t have any regrets. I was happy to be part of Chelsea, but now my full focus is on Al-Hilal.’
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