The inside story on why Liverpool star Jeremy Jacquet almost quit football before becoming professional

Jeremy Jacquet encountered several setbacks on his journey to becoming a professional footballer, making his rise to stardom all the more impressive.

Jacquet officially sealed his £55million transfer from Rennes to Liverpool in June, and the Frenchman has enjoyed a whirlwind few months.

The 21-year-old has impressed alongside Virgil van Dijk in the heart of Andoni Iraola's defence, with the Reds going unbeaten and keeping three clean sheets across their opening five Premier League matches.

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Jeremy Jacquet almost quit football at the age of 12

A bright start to life at Anfield carried over to France during the international break, as the talented defender turned in a standout performance on his debut for Zinedine Zidane against Belgium and then followed it up with another incredible display against Italy.

Footage of Jacquet's performance in the two games went viral on social media, with many praising the Liverpool man for his passing ability and confidence on the ball, which stems from him playing in a more advanced position in his younger years.

At RC Joinville (RCJ) - the club he played at from 2013 to 2019 - Jacquet was deployed in midfield and had ambitions of following in the footsteps of World Cup winner Paul Pogba, with RCJ's technical director Bruno Sampaio praising his quality on the ball.

"He already had a lot of qualities when he was with us,” Sampaio said in an interview with The Athletic in August.

“Technically very good and, above all, very intelligent in the way he played. He had excellent vision, understood situations very quickly and was capable of controlling the game from midfield.

“He was tall and lean for his age and physically ahead of many of the other boys, but his rapid growth also caused him some difficulties. He was regularly troubled by injuries because his body was changing so quickly.”

Jacquet was upset by the difficulties and setbacks he encountered, and while playing for the U12s, he burst into tears and said he wanted to quit playing football altogether following a conversation with the coach.

The next day he was back with the ball at his feet, instantly putting that feeling behind him, and has never looked back since joining Rennes from RCJ in 2019.

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Jeremy Jacquet faces biggest test in the Premier League

Jacquet has now firmly established himself as one of Europe's most promising young defenders, and this weekend, he will face arguably his biggest test yet since moving to Anfield.

After being confirmed as fit by Andoni Iraola for Sunday's showdown with Manchester City, the Frenchman faces the difficult task of coming up against Erling Haaland.

The City goal machine has the pace, power and strength to bully almost every defender in the league - as seen on several occasions - and Jacquet will have to be at his best to stop him.

Of course, he will be helped by partner Van Dijk, but it will be interesting to see how he handles the physically imposing Haaland.

It's expected to be a raucous atmosphere at Anfield, fuelled by Man City's guilty verdict after they were charged by the independent commission for breaching 114 of their 115 charges.

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