**Starring at the U19 Euros…** Jacquet had displayed his rich potential at the U19 European Championship in Northern Ireland in the summer of 2024. He was a starter for France as they produced a run to the final and finished runners-up to Spain, including a winning goal from the penalty spot in the group stage. Jacquet was named in the official Team of the Tournament.
**Aerially dominant…** In 19 Ligue 1 appearances during 2025-26, Jacquet registered the division’s third-best percentage for aerial duels won per 90 minutes – 75.5 per cent. He was also in the league’s top 20 and second-highest at Rennes for the same metric in ground duels (62 per cent). Opta data shows Jacquet recorded 4.9 clearances per 90 minutes and won possession on average 4.14 times per 90.
**But a composed passer too…** Opta’s statistics also highlight Jacquet’s efficient use of the ball – he was successful with 90.4 per cent of his passes (973 of 1,076) during the past Ligue 1 campaign. “I’m calm on the ball, maybe I can look a bit nonchalant – but I’m focused,” he detailed. “What defines me is playing out well, breaking lines with the right pass.”
**He wasn’t always a defender…** Perhaps that ability in possession is no surprise given Jacquet was a midfielder earlier in his career, inspired by French World Cup winner Paul Pogba: “I wanted to play like him.” It was Rennes’ scouts who thought differently and persuaded an initially reticent Jacquet that his future lay in the back line. “They were right,” he says now. “They knew better.”