Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly believes that his Senegalese teammate, Nicolas Jackson, has the potential to become one of the world’s top strikers.Koulibaly moved from Chelsea to Saudi Arabia in June 2023, just before 23-year-old Jackson completed a £32 million transfer from Villarreal to Chelsea. Although the two never shared the field at Stamford Bridge, they remain in close contact.”I speak all the time with Nicolas because he’s my international teammate,” said Koulibaly in a print exclusive interview with GiveMeSport. “He’s a young player who I like. I speak a lot with him.”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.”This will be Livepool’s season, this is a crucial proof of itJackson closed out the 2023/24 season with impressive stats, netting 17 goals across all competitions — surpassing Didier Drogba’s tally in his debut season at Stamford Bridge. Jackson has since kicked off this campaign with six Premier League goals in nine matches.The Senegalese forward has 18 caps and recently scored his first international goal in a 4-0 victory over Malawi in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. His strong form earned him the Senegalese Football Federation’s award for best Senegalese player abroad for the 2023/24 season, winning over Koulibaly by a margin of 36 votes.Koulibaly has set a challenge for Jackson to follow in the footsteps of Sadio Mané, who finished second to Karim Benzema in the 2022 Ballon d’Or voting. During the 2021/22 season, Mané scored 33 goals and provided five assists for club and country, winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal as well as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup with Liverpool.🗣️🇸🇳 Kalidou Koulibaly à propos de Nicolas Jackson :« Pour moi, il marquera l’histoire du Sénégal. Je lui dis tout le temps, comme l’a fait Sadio Mané. Il a le talent pour y parvenir et j’espère qu’il fera partie des meilleurs joueurs africains et pourquoi pas du monde. » pic.twitter.com/i5tnAAZcjU— 🏆 Actu Foot Afrique (@ActuFootAfrique) November 1, 2024 No African player has claimed the Ballon d’Or since George Weah in 1995, but Koulibaly believes Jackson has the potential to end this nearly three-decade-long wait.”I hope he will continue to score,” said Koulibaly. “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.”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.”##EDITORS_CHOICE##Koulibaly might face off against Jackson and Chelsea next summer at the Club World Cup, as both Al-Hilal and the London club have secured spots in the 32-team tournament set to take place in the United States.The center-back featured in 32 matches for Chelsea during the 2022/23 season after his transfer from Napoli. Although he spent just one season at Stamford Bridge amid a turbulent period that led to the dismissals of both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, Koulibaly has no regrets about his decision to join the club.”I enjoyed my time at Chelsea,” he said. “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.”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.”Nicolas Jackson 23/24 vs 24/25 so far. 📈🔵[sky] #cfc pic.twitter.com/lrX3WmmoqT— CFCDaily (@CFCDaily) November 2, 2024 ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 10SaturdayNewcastle – Arsenal 1-0 (1-0)/Isak 12/Bournemouth – Manchester City 2-1 (1-0)/Semenyo 9, Evanilson 64 – Gvardiol /Ipswich – Leicester City 1-1 (0-0)/Davis 55 – Ayew 90+4/Liverpool – Brighton 2-1 (0-1)/Gakpo 69, Salah 72 – Kadioglu 14/Nott. Forest – West Ham 3-0 (1-0)/Wood 27, Hudson-Odoi 65, Aina 78/Southampton – Everton 1-0 (0-0)/Armstrong 85/Wolverhampton – Crystal Palace 2-2 (0-0)/Larsen 67, Gomes 72 – Chalobah 60, Guehi77/Sunday 17.00: (1.95) Tottenham (3.85) Aston Villa (3.60)19.30: (2.70) Man.Utd. (3.40) Chelsea (2.60)***odds are subject to change***
