Nicolas Jackson to win the Ballon d’Or? Chelsea striker told to aim for top prize as ex-Blues defender urges him to follow example of former Liverpool star Sadio Mane

Jackson is enjoying a fine run of goalscoring for Chelsea this season. The 23-year-old has six goals and three assists in nine Premier League outings for the Blues to silence his critics. Jackson has readily admitted he wasn’t happy with his debut season, despite bagging 17 times for Chelsea, but has already put pen to paper on a new two-year contract extension. The Senegal international has now been offered some advice by former Chelsea star Koulibaly who thinks he must believe he can win the Ballon d’Or if he is to maximise his talent.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Koulibaly told GiveMeSport: “I hope he will continue to score. We know for all strikers life is goals, and Nicolas is no different. 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. And 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 teammates, 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.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Jackson will have his work cut out winning the Ballon d’Or, particularly with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Erling Haaland around. Manchester City star Rodri has lifted the prestigious trophy in 2024, beating Vinicius Jr to top spot, with Chelsea’s Cole Palmer’s the highest ranked Blues player after finishing in 25th place. Meanwhile, George Weah remains the only African player to win the Ballon d’Or after claiming the trophy in 1995.

  WHAT NEXT FOR JACKSON

  Jackson will be eyeing more goals on Sunday when Chelsea take a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the Premier League.