Up with roosters and nicknamed Neymar - Jackson's rise

Born in The Gambia to a Gambian father and Senegalese mother, Nicolas Jackson has risen from humble beginnings to become Chelsea's main striker

Nicolas Jackson's return from injury has been well timed for Chelsea, as the Blues look to land the Europa Conference League trophy and book a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2022-23.

The Senegalese has bagged nine goals in 26 games this season, turning himself into Enzo Maresca's first-choice striker following an up and down beginning to his Stamford Bridge career.

Not that early starts have always been a problem.

"Sometimes we trained very early in the morning, especially when the sun was very hot," Pere Badara Sarr, the Casa Sports coach who discovered Jackson in Senegal, told BBC Sport Africa.

"He would say that once the rooster crowed, he'd be up and on his way to training."

Born in The Gambia, Jackson moved to Senegal aged 12, relocating to Ziguinchor, a village some 273 miles (440km) and a nine-hour car journey from the capital Dakar.

While honing his skills playing with friends behind his house - sometimes barefoot - for more than two hours a day after school, Jackson would keep an ear out for visiting scouts or indications of organised trials.

"It was easy to pick him for a number of reasons, but mainly because of his style of play," Sarr added, having spotted Jackson at a national competition involving 8,000 young hopefuls.

"He had this unique pull on his team-mates that really made him stand out. They called him Neymar."

Waking with the roosters

Ziguinchor is situated on the Casamance River in southern Senegal

The comparisons to Brazil's all-time top scorer may not have stuck, but Jackson has shown dedication worthy of top professionals.

"He lived with his mother, cousins and uncles, which kept him grounded," Sarr said.

"I can't remember him ever being late for training."

From Casa Sports, Jackson's application earned him a move to La Liga club Villarreal aged 18.

"He told [his family] he wouldn't come back until he made it," Birane Hady Cisse, the sports editor at Senegalese news agency 373/500, told BBC Sport Africa.

"He's undoubtedly one of the top players we have now."

Diomansy Kamara, who won a half-century of caps for Senegal, was instrumental in that transfer to Spain, with Cisse claiming the former Fulham and West Brom forward's guidance has been crucial.

"He understood how things worked in Europe and picked the best place for Jackson to develop, without focusing too much on where he could make money right away."

A hard start in Spain

Jackson failed to find the net in his first 10 games for Villarreal's first team

Yet Jackson's European dream looked on shaky ground, as he alternated between Villarreal's youth and B teams while adapting to his new surroundings.

"When he came he was shy and looked raw," Javier Sidro, who covers the Yellow Submarine as the head of sports at Radio Castellon Cadena SER, told the BBC.

"But he paid attention and was always willing to improve."

Second-tier outfit Mirandes turned down the chance to sign Jackson permanently after just one goal in 17 outings on loan.

But such things can be a blessing in disguise, and Jackson returned to Villarreal knowing it was make or break.

He was eventually handed his first-team debut by Unai Emery as a late substitute against Real Betis in October 2021.

"In the weeks leading up to that, Emery had been preparing him as he liked his movement and saw the potential for greatness," Sidro revealed.

"It was interesting to keep an eye on him. He was capable of generating chances and looked really strong, but there was work to be done on his finishing."

Jackson was consigned to fleeting appearances from the bench for the rest of the season, with injuries also restricting his progress.

Finding form

Jackson won his first cap for Senegal at the 2022 Fifa World Cup when he appeared against the Netherlands

He began the next campaign strongly, netting on his first La Liga start, but Emery's work to fully integrate him into the side ended when he left for Aston Villa in October 2022.

"Quique Setien replaced Emery and he saw something in Jackson too - a player who was clearly talented but hadn't yet reached his potential," Sidro said.

Jackson made his senior debut for Senegal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and Premier League clubs were starting to take notice.

Bournemouth agreed a fee of more than £20m ($25.9m) to sign him in January 2023 but injury meant the deal fell through - with the Cherries snapping up Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo from Bristol City instead.

Once again, a failed transfer brought the best out of the Senegalese in the second half of that season.

"Jackson exploded, not instantly, but gradually," Sidro explained. "Once he started, he was really unstoppable."

Nine goals in the final eight games of the La Liga campaign helped Villarreal finish fifth and qualify for the Europa League.

Chelsea, who at the time were changing their model to target young players, secured his services in June 2023, handing Jackson an eight-year contract.

Proving himself at Stamford Bridge

Jackson's undulating career at Chelsea has seen him look like a world-beater in some games while showing naivety in others.

However, he netted 14 league goals in his debut campaign and former Senegal striker Demba Ba, who spent 18 months with the Blues, thinks there is no doubt that Jackson will be a long-term success in west London.

"At Villarreal he was really good at making that final turn, and he'll be great at Chelsea," Ba said.

"He just needs to keep working hard and remember that he has to score goals."

Could this season's run-in provide Jackson with the stage to prove that he is the real deal?

Should he lead the Blues to a top-four finish, or score the goals that clinch a first trophy since 2021, then the boy from Ziguinchor may finally silence his doubters.