Bayern Munich newcomer Nicolas Jackson won the UEFA Europa Conference League with Chelsea. - © IMAGO
Bayern Munich newcomer Nicolas Jackson won the UEFA Europa Conference League with Chelsea. - © IMAGO
Exciting centre-forward Nicolas Jackson has completed a season-long loan move to Bayern Munich and will compete with Harry Kane for a starting role up front. But who exactly is the 24-year-old? Let’s delve a little deeper…
Advertisement
Data correct as of 1 September 2025
Nicolas Jackson
Age: 24 (born 20 June 2021)
Club: Bayern Munich (on loan from Chelsea)
Position: Striker
Country: Senegal (14 caps, one goal)
After starting out in his native Senegal with Ziguinchor club Casa Sports, Jackson was spotted by Spanish outfit Villarreal, initially linking up with the team’s youth sides.
After signing for the Yellow Submarine, he spent the 2020/21 season on loan with Mirandés in the second tier, scoring once in 16 appearances. His overall displays there earned him a spot in Villarreal’s B team squad the following campaign and, alongside scoring five goals and creating seven in 25 appearances, he made his senior debut against Real Betis in October 2021.
That was one of nine LaLiga outings in 2021/22, and by 2022/23, Jackson had established himself as a regular. He took a little time to get going, but ended the league campaign by scoring nine goals in eight games and winning the LaLiga Player of the Month for May 2023, subsequently earning a move to Chelsea.
Across the following two campaigns, Jackson was the Blues’ first-choice striker, scoring 14 goals in his first English Premier League season before netting 10 in 2024/25, including in the Conference League final win over Real Betis.
At international level, Jackson made his Senegal debut in the opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a 2-0 loss to the Netherlands. He featured in all four of the Teranga Lions’ matches at the 2024 African Cup of Nations, while his first goal came in a qualifying victory over Malawi.
Jackson represents Senegal an international level. - IMAGO/Visionhaus
Plays a bit like: Hugo Ekitiké
Jackson is a tall but slender striker who likes to come deep, pick up the ball and run at defenders, but who also has the speed to run onto balls in behind.
These qualities are very similar to formerEintracht Frankfurt man Ekitiké, now of Liverpool. In 18 months at Deutsche Bank Park, the Frenchman scored 26 goals in 64 games, firing Frankfurt into the UEFA Champions League last term. He is also a regular provider of assists, amassing eight in the Bundesliga for Frankfurt last term.
Jackson, too, has proven he can create for his teammates and, with the quality surrounding him at Bayern, could prove to be a consistent contributor in the final third.
Watch: The best of Hugo Ekitiké
Did you know?
Within just 15 minutes of his debut in Senegal, Jackson’s style of play earned him the nickname Neymar. "It was easy to pick him out for a number of reasons. He had this unique pull on his team-mates that really made him stand out,” said his ex-coach Pere Badara Sarr.
What they’re saying
"Nicolas is an ideal fit for the profile we’re looking for with his dynamism and presence. He’s hungry and will expand our options in attack with his abilities, being an immediate boost for our team." -Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl
"Nicolas will add another dimension to our attacking play. He covers a wide range of areas. He brings a lot of speed, is dangerous
in front of goal and looks for ways to get in behind the defence for the good of the team." - Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund
"We knew Nicolas Jackson’s quality when we signed him, we saw that before. It is not that we ask him to run and press the ball, he is quality in the way he recovers the ball, but he also can finish. He has top quality. I have no doubt that he can become one of the greatest strikers in the Premier League." – former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino
"He will make the story of Senegal, I am telling him all the time, like Sadio Mané did it. He has the talent to do it and I hope he will be part of the best players in Africa and why not in the world."– Senegal teammate Kalidou Koulibaly
About the clubs
