The inside scoop on why Liverpool star Jeremy Jacquet nearly gave up football before turning pro
Jeremy Jacquet faced quite a few challenges on his way to becoming a professional footballer, which makes his rise even more amazing.
In June, Jacquet completed his big £55 million move from Rennes to Liverpool, and since then, the young Frenchman has had an exciting few months. At just 21 years old, he’s been impressive playing alongside Virgil van Dijk in Andoni Iraola’s defense. Liverpool has gone unbeaten with three clean sheets in their first five Premier League games.
A strong start at Anfield continued during the international break. Jacquet shined on his debut for France under Zinedine Zidane, playing well against Belgium and then Italy. Clips of his games quickly spread on social media, with lots of praise for his confident passing—something that comes from the time he spent playing in midfield when he was younger.
Jacquet played at RC Joinville (RCJ) from 2013 to 2019, where he was a midfielder dreaming of following World Cup winner Paul Pogba. Bruno Sampaio, RCJ’s technical director, spoke highly of him, saying in an August interview with The Athletic: “He had great skills when he was with us. Technically excellent and very smart on the pitch. He had great vision, could read the game fast, and controlled play from midfield.”
Jacquet grew quickly and became physically strong for his age but also struggled with injuries because his body was changing so fast. These setbacks were tough on him. At one point while playing for the U12s, he even cried and wanted to quit football after talking with his coach. But just one day later, he was back on the field and never looked back after joining Rennes from RCJ in 2019.
Now, Jacquet is recognized as one of Europe’s most exciting young defenders. This weekend, he faces one of the biggest challenges yet—Liverpool’s tough match against Manchester City. Confirmed fit by coach Iraola, Jacquet will try to stop Erling Haaland, one of the league’s most powerful and fast strikers, known for overpowering defenders.
He’ll have Van Dijk’s help, but it’ll be fascinating to see how he handles the strong Haaland. The match is expected to be electric, with an intense crowd at Anfield, especially after Manchester City was found guilty of breaching rules in a recent charge.
It’s shaping up to be a thrilling game!