Nicolas Jackson
Footballer (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicolas Jackson (born 20 June 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker and winger for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, on loan from Premier League club Chelsea. He also plays for the Senegal national team.
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Jackson with Chelsea in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Nicolas Jackson[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 20 June 2001[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team |
Bayern Munich (on loan from Chelsea) | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | A.S.C. Tiléne | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Casa Sports | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Villarreal B | 25 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | → Mirandés (loan) | 16 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Villarreal | 35 | (12) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Chelsea | 65 | (24) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | → Bayern Munich (loan) | 17 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Senegal U20 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Senegal | 31 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:31, 14 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 January 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
Jackson played for Casa Sports in Senegal before joining Villarreal in 2019. After a loan to Mirandés in the Segunda División, he broke through in the reserve team and made his first-team debut in La Liga in 2021. In 2023, he signed an eight-year deal at Chelsea for a reported fee of £32 million.
Jackson made his senior international debut for Senegal in 2022. He was selected in the Senegalese squads for the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2023 and 2025.
Early life
Jackson's birthplace is uncertain: several sources claim he was born in Banjul, The Gambia,[4][5] while Chelsea and Bayern official profiles claim he was born in Djibonker, Senegal,[6] to a Gambian father and Senegalese mother. In 2017, in the aftermath of the 2016 Gambian presidential election, the family moved to Ziguinchor, Senegal.[7][8]
Club career
Early career
Jackson began playing for local side ASC Tilene before joining Casa Sports,[9] where he was a part of the first team squad during the 2018–19 season.[10][11] He was also named man of the match in a 1–1 Ligue 1 draw against AS Pikine on 16 November 2018.[12][13]
Villarreal
In September 2019, Jackson agreed to a contract with La Liga side Villarreal,[14][15] being assigned to the Juvenil A squad.
Loan to Mirandés
On 5 October 2020, Jackson was loaned to Segunda División side Mirandés for the 2020–21 season.[16] He made his professional debut thirteen days later, coming on as a second-half substitute for Antonio Caballero in a 0–0 home draw against Mallorca.[17]
Jackson scored his first professional goal on 28 November 2020, netting the opener in a 1–1 home draw against Castellón.[18] It was his only goal of the season as the Jabatos finished in 10th place.
Breakthrough
Upon returning, Jackson played for Villarreal's B-team in Primera División RFEF, scoring seven goals as the side achieved promotion to the second division. He made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 3 October 2021, replacing Arnaut Danjuma late into a 2–0 home win over Real Betis.[19]
Jackson scored his first goal in the top tier on 13 August 2022, netting the opener in a 3–0 away win over Real Valladolid. Thirteen days later, he and teammate Álex Baena were promoted to the main squad.[20]
In January 2023, Villarreal agreed a £22.5 million deal from AFC Bournemouth for the signing of Jackson, but he failed his medical due to hamstring issues, and the transfer did not materialise.[21] After returning to action in March, he scored nine goals within the months of April and May, which included braces against Celta Vigo, Athletic Bilbao and Cádiz.
Chelsea
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On 30 June 2023, Jackson signed for Premier League club Chelsea on an eight-year deal through 2031 for a fee reported to be £32 million.[22] On 13 August, he made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool in the Premier League.[23] He scored his first Chelsea goal on 25 August 2023 against newly promoted side Luton Town, helping Chelsea to a 3–0 win at Stamford Bridge.[24] On 6 November, Jackson scored twice in second-half stoppage time to complete a hat-trick in a 4–1 away win over Tottenham Hotspur.[25] He scored again in the next match against Manchester City, which ended in a 4–4 home draw.[26]
On 15 April 2024, Jackson scored his tenth Premier League goal of the season, and provided an assist for Cole Palmer's goal in a 6–0 win over Everton. As Palmer had already reached double digits in league goals, this became the first Chelsea season since 2017–18 in which two players had scored ten or more Premier League goals in a season.[27] On 5 May 2024, Jackson scored twice and provided an assist for Palmer in a 5–0 home win over West Ham United.[28] He scored 14 league goals across 35 appearances, making him the second highest African goal scorer in the 2023–24 season only behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.[29]
On 13 September 2024, Jackson signed a two-year contract extension with Chelsea, extending his contract until 2033.[30] He won the Premier League Goal of the Month award for October 2024 for the opening goal of a 2–1 win over Newcastle United on 27 October.[31][32]
On 1 May 2025, Jackson scored a brace in the first leg of the Conference League semi-final which ended in a 4–1 away win over Djurgården.[33] He was later sent off on 11 May for a deliberate elbow in a Premier League match against Newcastle United.[34] On 28 May, he netted the second goal for Chelsea in a 4–1 win over Real Betis in the 2025 UEFA Conference League final.[35] A month later, on 20 June, he was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge just four minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 loss to Flamengo during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.[36]
Loan to Bayern Munich
On 1 September 2025, Jackson joined Bundesliga club Bayern Munich on a season-long loan for a reported fee of €16.5m.[37] Later that month, on 30 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 away win over Pafos in the Champions League.[38]
International career
Jackson represented Senegal at under-20 level,[39][40] receiving his first call-up in November 2018.[41]
After being called up to the full side by manager Aliou Cissé for two friendlies in September 2022, Jackson was included in the 26-man list for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on 11 November 2022.[42] He made his full international debut in Senegal's opening match of the competition, replacing Krépin Diatta in a 2–0 loss against the Netherlands.[43]
In December 2023, he was named in Senegal's squad for the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast.[44] He came on as a substitute in all four games as the defending champions made it to the last 16.[45]
On 11 October 2024, he scored his first international goal, concluding a 4–0 home win over Malawi in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.[46]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 18 March 2026[47]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mirandés | 2020–21 | Segunda División | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| Villarreal B | 2021–22 | Primera División RFEF | 25 | 5 | — | — | — | 2[c] | 2 | 27 | 7 | |||
| Villarreal | 2021–22 | La Liga | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 26 | 12 | 2 | 0 | — | 10[d] | 1 | — | 38 | 13 | |||
| Total | 35 | 12 | 3 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | — | 48 | 13 | ||||
| Chelsea | 2023–24 | Premier League | 35 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 44 | 17 | ||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 30 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[d] | 3 | 3[e] | 0 | 37 | 13 | |
| Total | 65 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 81 | 30 | ||
| Bayern Munich (loan) | 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 8[f] | 3 | — | 26 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 158 | 46 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 199 | 58 | ||
- Includes Copa del Rey, FA Cup, DFB-Pokal
- Appearances in Primera Federación promotion play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA (Europa) Conference League
- Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 18 January 2026[48]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 31 | 7 | |
- Senegal score listed first, score column indicates score after each Jackson goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 2024 | Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, Dakar, Senegal | 17 |  Malawi | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 9 September 2025 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo | 22 |  DR Congo | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 10 October 2025 | Juba Stadium, Juba, South Sudan | 23 |  South Sudan | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 18 November 2025 | Antalya Stadium, Antalya, Turkey | 26 |  Kenya | 1–0 | 8–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 6 | 23 December 2025 | Tangier Grand Stadium, Tangier, Morocco | 27 |  Botswana | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 7 | 2–0 |
Honours
Chelsea
Individual
