After a summer spent winning silverware, perhaps it was fitting that Jorginho returned to Chelsea’s training ground recently with silver hair. “Terrible,” remarked team-mate Hakim Ziyech, but it highlighted the midfielder’s almost untouchable confidence following a halcyon period where he became the king of Europe.
Last month the Italy international became only the 11th player to win a Champions League and European Championship in the same season, adding to a remarkable journey that has taken him from the beaches of Brazil to a famous Wembley win. He has since completed a European hat-trick in the space of 74 days by winning the Super Cup against Villarreal in Belfast last week. Winning has become “addictive” and the 29-year-old says he is “hungry” for more trophies.
A player who moved away from home as a teenager to further his career, and says he was forced to live on 20 euros a week as a young player in Italy, Jorginho is now being tipped by former Napoli and Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri to win the Ballon d’Or. Chelsea team-mate Kai Havertz told BBC Sport: “I think there are also very good players alongside him to maybe win that, but when you win the Champions League and the Euros in one year, he deserves it for sure. It’s a pleasure to play with him.”