An African star now currently plying his trade in England has come a long way, with him revealing how he had to endure playing football in either his school or with no shoes at all.
Nicolas Jackson currently plays for Premier League giants Chelsea FC, where so far this season he has helped the side to second place on the table, just two points behind leaders Liverpool, after 16 matches.
Read: Ronwen praised as an inspiration for millions
The Senegalese has managed to accumulate nine goals and three assists in the 15 games he was apart of so far this season.
While he is enjoying considerable success as an EPL star, his life could have gone in a different direction had he listened to his parents who encouraged him to pursue a different career path.
"We didn't have original boots because it's too expensive, so normally I played with my school shoes or barefoot because my family didn't want me to play," he revealed while speaking to Showmax and Premier League Productions.
"It's not that they didn't want me to play. They didn't just want me to waste my time playing football because it's too difficult to be successful in football in Senegal. You have to be very talented or lucky to go.
"Maybe two players leave in 10 years or two players leave in five years.
"So it's not that they didn't want me to play, it's just they didn't want me to waste my time playing. So, they said, no, don't play, just study, study, study, study. So I was always studying."
The striker went on to state that he eventually settled on pursuing football as a career for himself.
"It's difficult to choose, so you just have to do what you want to do and try to go with it 100%," Jackson said.
"So I did football and then decided I'm just going to play, and I went all out in training every day.
"And then I went to the teams and I played street football when I was young, of course. I started off in first division, then went to Villareal and now I am at Chelsea."
Read: PSL baller enjoys night off, attends Breezy concert!