Originally bought by Chelsea for Maurizio Sarri, Jorginho took some time to fully become the player he is today at Stamford Bridge.
Over the past year, the Italy international has blossomed into what many consider to be one of the best players in the world in his role, proving to be instrumental for both the Blues and his country as he lifted the Champions League and the Euros in the same summer.
Some are touting him for the Ballon d’Or later on this year, but that’s not something he’s thinking about right now, fully focused on the next task at hand, which is to face Juventus, a club who has wanted him in the past, this week.
As for his growth as a player this year, Jorginho explained how things changed, and some of it is directly linked to what the fans and press said about him in the past.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday: “I’ve said it before: all the criticism I’ve received has been a strong motivation. The fans understand the commitment you put in your work and have seen with their own eyes that I always give 100% for this club and to help Chelsea grow and win.
“Then the results came, the performances got better and they started to understand my way of playing. They started to appreciate my way of seeing football. I can say with pride that I’ve managed to win another challenge: the fans’ support”.
Just to show how important Jorginho was to Chelsea last year, the 29-year-old appeared in 43 games in all competitions for the club, scored eight goals and assisted another two before featuring in every single one of his country’s games on their road to beating England on penalties at Wembley.
