'Chelsea paid £33m to sign me – one star can win the Ballon d'Or and it's not Cole Palmer'

Kalidou Koulibay left Chelsea the summer that Cole Palmer arrived, but he has omitted the England star for Ballon d’Or contention in favour of one of his team-mates.

Palmer was up for the top individual award this year after a blistering debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, finishing 25th overall even though he has not played in any European competition for the club.

Koulibaly just missed Palmer on his way out of the door to Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal, following a disappointing stint at Chelsea which cost the club £33million. But he has continued to track his former club and is impressed by another star.

Koulibaly knows Nicolas Jackson well from their exploits on international duty with Senegal. The striker was not in the squad for their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations victory, as Koulibaly scored in the final penalty shoot-out against Egypt, but he has been tipped to hit the very top of the sport.

“I hope he will continue to score,” Koulibaly told Give Me Sport of Jackson. “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.”

Jackson has been in blistering form this season, scoring six goals in nine Premier League matches. However, in order to go toe-to-toe with those competing for the Ballon d’Or and attempt to snatch Rodri’s crown, the 23-year-old must take another leap.

His goalscoring record has to improve for his country, having only hit the back of the net once in his 18 Senegal caps. His league form will also need to be replicated on the European stage.

Jackson is yet to feature in the UEFA Conference League, but will hope to make an impact in the later stages, and will need to star in the Champions League or Europa League to live up to Koulibaly’s expectations.