Nicolas Jackson revealed his football journey from Africa to Chelsea, where he now plays as the number 9 for the London club.
Six years ago, the Senegalese was playing barefoot in his country.
His life was far from the wealth he acquired, and the atmosphere of the Premier League was not even in his thoughts. He does not even own a football boot.
Jackson claimed it was extremely difficult to afford the boots while he was playing in his hometown.
However, he got his first boot at the age of 16 through his mother. It was revealed that they were cheap boots, not like the original boots.
Before moving to England, Jackson revealed that his mother, Jeanne Malack, worked day and night on the farm to make sure the family survived.
In his hometown, Ziguinchor, playing football was just with his friends.
There were no football clubs to play for, and they were playing just for the love of the game.
What Did Nicolas Jackson Say About Cristiano Ronaldo?
The former Villarreal striker said that while he was growing up, he fell in love with Cristiano Ronaldo.
He said “When I was growing up, I loved Cristiano Ronaldo. I had his name on a shirt that I always wore.
“Not an actual shirt because they are expensive, so you don’t buy them."
"But I had a shirt that I put 7, Ronaldo on with a pen. I did it myself when I was a kid."
"Of course, I would pretend to be him, but it was difficult to watch his games because you needed to pay. We would go to my friend’s house, everybody."
"We would watch in a large group, never just with one person in the house. All my friends, we’d all go to one house to watch Real Madrid.”
Jackson's admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo was first noticed when he scored a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur and did the famous "Siuu celebration."
Jackson claimed he always did the celebration while he was at Villarreal in Spain when he scored more than a goal.
He said "I always did his celebration, even when I was at Villarreal and I scored two goals"
"So when I got a hat-trick, I had to do it. Now I’ll only do it for hat-tricks, not every goal."
How Nicolas Jackson Choose His Path as a Football Star
His dream to become a football star made him quit school at the age of 16.
Nicolas Jackson said a lot of people were annoyed at him for making that horrible decision to quit school to focus on football.
His family wanted him to go back to school, but he was adamant about becoming a football star.
Despite his mother not agreeing to the fact that the son does not want to go to school, the mother kept working day and night to help Jackson succeed in life.
He said no matter what he earns at Chelsea, it will be very difficult for him to repay his debt to his mother.
How was Nicolas Jackson discovered?
Jackson was discovered in his hometown by former Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara.
At the age of 17, he joined Casa Sports, which plays in the Senegal top division.
From there, he did a trial at Benfica and got a move to Villarreal in Spain. He later joined Chelsea for the 2023–24 season for a fee worth £32 million.
What do you think about Nicolas Jackson's story about his move from Africa to Chelsea? Air your views in the comment section.*
Six years ago, the Senegalese was playing barefoot in his country.
His life was far from the wealth he acquired, and the atmosphere of the Premier League was not even in his thoughts. He does not even own a football boot.
Jackson claimed it was extremely difficult to afford the boots while he was playing in his hometown.
However, he got his first boot at the age of 16 through his mother. It was revealed that they were cheap boots, not like the original boots.
Before moving to England, Jackson revealed that his mother, Jeanne Malack, worked day and night on the farm to make sure the family survived.
In his hometown, Ziguinchor, playing football was just with his friends.
There were no football clubs to play for, and they were playing just for the love of the game.
What Did Nicolas Jackson Say About Cristiano Ronaldo?
The former Villarreal striker said that while he was growing up, he fell in love with Cristiano Ronaldo.
He said “When I was growing up, I loved Cristiano Ronaldo. I had his name on a shirt that I always wore.
“Not an actual shirt because they are expensive, so you don’t buy them."
"But I had a shirt that I put 7, Ronaldo on with a pen. I did it myself when I was a kid."
"Of course, I would pretend to be him, but it was difficult to watch his games because you needed to pay. We would go to my friend’s house, everybody."
"We would watch in a large group, never just with one person in the house. All my friends, we’d all go to one house to watch Real Madrid.”
Jackson's admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo was first noticed when he scored a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur and did the famous "Siuu celebration."
Jackson claimed he always did the celebration while he was at Villarreal in Spain when he scored more than a goal.
He said "I always did his celebration, even when I was at Villarreal and I scored two goals"
"So when I got a hat-trick, I had to do it. Now I’ll only do it for hat-tricks, not every goal."
How Nicolas Jackson Choose His Path as a Football Star
His dream to become a football star made him quit school at the age of 16.
Nicolas Jackson said a lot of people were annoyed at him for making that horrible decision to quit school to focus on football.
His family wanted him to go back to school, but he was adamant about becoming a football star.
Despite his mother not agreeing to the fact that the son does not want to go to school, the mother kept working day and night to help Jackson succeed in life.
He said no matter what he earns at Chelsea, it will be very difficult for him to repay his debt to his mother.
How was Nicolas Jackson discovered?
Jackson was discovered in his hometown by former Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara.
At the age of 17, he joined Casa Sports, which plays in the Senegal top division.
From there, he did a trial at Benfica and got a move to Villarreal in Spain. He later joined Chelsea for the 2023–24 season for a fee worth £32 million.
What do you think about Nicolas Jackson's story about his move from Africa to Chelsea? Air your views in the comment section.*