Great hope in Genk
After taking his first steps in football at Excelsior Veldwezelt, his hometown team, Nordin Jackers joined the Genk goalkeeping school, where he impressed with his talent and precocity. So much so that at the age of sixteen, the young Limburger was called to train for the first time with the A team. It was at this age that he also made his debut in the D categories. ages of the Belgian national team.
He then waited two years before taking his first steps with the first team of the Limburg club. During a Europa League match against Sassuolo, he made a dream debut since for his first start, he managed to keep his net clean.
He then hopes to follow in the footsteps of the great goalkeepers who passed through Genk where Jackers must ultimately settle for replacement status. In total, he made fourteen appearances in six seasons in the Genko jersey and will win a title in 2018-2019. During that season, he was Danny Vukovic's understudy and played a total of seven matches.
In September 2020, the goalkeeper wanted more playing time and decided to leave the club that saw him grow up. The then 21-year-old goalkeeper signed on loan with Waasland-Beveren for the season. At the same time, he participated in the U21 Euro in Italy where he played the Belgians' first match before being relegated to the bench.
A new start in Waasland-Beveren
In Beveren, Jackers started but was unable to prevent his team from reaching last place in the standings. Fortunately for him and Waasland, due to the pandemic, it was decided that no team would go down to the second division. The Dutch-speaking club then lifted the option to purchase the young goalkeeper, author of an encouraging individual season.
The following year, the club's relegation to the Challenger Pro League was inevitable. However, Jackers remained loyal to Beveren and even signed a new contract in the summer of 2021. Following this, he had a very good season in the elite antechamber and, moreover, became captain of the team.
But after three full seasons in the colors of Waasland-Beveren, the goalkeeper wants to play in the first division again. He decided to leave the club after receiving a transfer offer from Louvain. When his transfer was announced, he told Sporza: “The choice was not difficult, it is in any case a step forward.”
A return to the elite which turns into a nightmare
The Limburger signs with OHL with the ambition of becoming number 1 in the goalkeeper hierarchy. But the arrival of the Romanian Valentin Cojocaru changes the situation and he finds himself on the bench again. This time, he will not play a single minute. It is therefore without having set foot on the lawn of Den Dreef that Nordin Jackers is loaned to Club Brugge last summer to compensate for the injury of replacement goalkeeper Bursik. When he arrived, he knew he wouldn't play much. “I made the deliberate choice to become the club’s second goalkeeper. My relationship with Mignolet is very good: we have a lot of respect for each other. In my position, you know that you will need a little patience before you begin.”
He will meet Genk again this week
Following an injury to Simon Mignolet, he was offered a new chance to perform at the highest level, 697 days after his last official match. And it’s fair to say Jackers rose to the occasion. With nine goals conceded in eleven matches in all competitions, he is one of the great architects of Bruges' return to the forefront of the Belgian and European scene. The story is beautiful since after replacing Mignolet in the last minutes of the Belgian Cup match, the Limburger started in the following match against his former team. A baptism of fire against Genk, at the Luminus Arena, the stadium where he dreamed of playing as a child.
During this match, he achieved a clean sheet, synonymous with a perfect return to the Pro League (0-3 victory). The Bruges goalkeeper said this after the victory against Genk: “That’s why I’m here. I think I had a good match. Of course, it's not easy to be here again after such a long time. But I've been training a lot and it's good that I can show myself in the spotlight.”
Irony of the calendar, this week he faces his former club during two consecutive and crucial meetings in the title race. Man of the match on his return to the Luminus Arena, Nordin Jackers hopes to be decisive again against his training club. The first of the two confrontations will take place this Wednesday evening at home, the second will be held on Sunday at the Luminus Arena.
