IF ITALY WIN EURO 2020, JORGINHO IS UNLIKELY TO BE A BALLON D’OR CONTENDER

Jorginho has been under-appreciated since his arrival at Chelsea in 2018. The midfielder has been outstanding at Euro 2020, converting a penalty in ice-cold fashion to eliminate Spain and earn Italy a place in the final. He is bidding to complete a club and international double by winning the European Championship with Italy at Wembley on Sunday. If the Azzurri beat England, it could put Jorgino ahead of N’Golo Kante in the conversation for the Ballon d’Or.

Jorginho has been overlooked by many in Italy for the Ballon d’Or award. The Napoli midfielder rarely provides match-winning goals or assists and his weaknesses are obvious. Lorenzo Insigne says he is a wonderful team player, who communicates well on the pitch. Insigne’s ex-Napoli team-mate Giorgio Chiellini believes Jorgino deserves to be considered for the award.

Jorginho can dominate a game in the right system while stifling the opponents’ ability to counterattack. The Chelsea man was largely overlooked by Antonio Conte and ill-suited to the style of play under Roberto Mancini’s predecessor Gian Piero Ventura. He is a good ‘continuity player’ as he can progress the ball at a good level and tempo.

“He is like that because he takes information on, communicates it to his team-mates which affects the games.”

Jorginho is in with a shout of winning the Champions League medal and further opportunities to impress for individual honours too. The type of player that usually attracts the votes is usually one that’s easier on the eye. Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are more likely winners. If winning both European honours is a metric for handing out the awards then England’s Mason Mount should also be in the discussion having achieved just as much.

Jorginho says he does not think about his unlikely Ballon d’Or shot. The Brazil midfielder scored the penalty which saw his country beat Spain in the World Cup semi-finals. He has overcome a number of difficulties to get to the top of the game, from being lied to in his youth career to winning over the boo-boys at Chelsea.