Chelsea star urged to “think about the Ballon d’Or”, Maresca delighted with his teamwork

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·2 November 2024

Chelsea star urged to “think about the Ballon d’Or”, Maresca delighted with his teamwork

Chelsea attacker Nicolas Jackson has been urged to think about winning the Ballon d’Or by his international teammate Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Senegal international striker has done quite well for Chelsea season and Koulibaly has heaped praise on his international teammate. The former Chelsea defender believes that Jackson has the quality to develop into one of the best players in the world and he should start believing that he can win the Ballon d’Or.

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He said via GMS: “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.”

Recently, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca heaped praise on the 23-year-old striker as well. Maresca revealed that Jackson is more than just a goalscorer and he helps out the side defensively as well. In addition to that, he is developing with time and he could improve further in the near future.

He said via Fabrizio Romano: “He’s not just helping in terms of scoring and assist but in terms of how we want to play, how he links with team-mates. Every time he drops he gives us an extra man. I’m so happy with Nico, he’s doing great and developing”.

(Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)

Nicolas Jackson has improved this season

The striker was criticised for a mediocre season last year, even though he scored 17 goals in all competitions. He seems to have improved this year and he has already scored six goals in nine league games for Chelsea.

The Senegal international will be hoping to prove himself in the Premier League and guide Chelsea to a successful season. The Blues will be desperate for Champions League qualification and they need players like Jackson to step up.

They were overly dependent on Cole Palmer for goals and creativity last season. The England international clearly needs more support in the attack and the 23-year-old has certainly stepped up so far.