Although Italy won Euro 2020, the team didn't have the players that are considered beasts on the top level for many years. Of course, defenders Chiellini and Bonucci are great, but their time has passed, while Donnaruma and Chiesa are only on their way to the top. In such conditions, the undeniable leading role belonged to midfielder Jorginho, who played in the deep midfield and was a real heart of the team that won the European tournament. Along with the victory in the Champions League in the same year with Chelsea, the Radio (his nickname) pretended for the Ballon d'Or in 2021.
Birthday and early career
A boy called Jorge was born in 1991, at the end of the year, on December 20. It happened in the Brazilian town of Imbituba, and this fact significantly influenced the playstyle of the future football star. Jorginho was very technical and skilful on the pitch, which allowed him to achieve all the heights he gained.
However, the way to the top level wasn't easy. A 1.8-metre tall player started his football way in Italy, as his family moved to this country in 2006. In 2007, Jorginho became a member of the local Hellas Verona Academy, where he stayed until 2010. The loan into the first senior professional club, Sambonifacese, was successful, as in 2011, the Radio returned to Verona with 31 matches in his portfolio. The same year, he began regular performance in the Mastiffs' squad.
Unique playstyle that brought him to Napoli
With great footwork and the ability to control the ball under pressure, Jorginho found himself in the deep midfield. Another advantage was good passing and "reading" of the game. However, all these skills were firstly polished in Serie C (the third division in Italy) and then in Serie B (the second one). Hellas Verona returned to Serie A only in 2013, but one year was enough for everyone to see the talent of the Brazil-born midfielder. Do you want more interesting stories about football? Go to the best football portal in India and subscribe for news updates.
So, in 2014, Napoli dealt with the Mastiffs concerning the rights for the midfielder, who joined the Neapolitan club. At that time, Napoli was rising after the long pause with many great players playing there. However, the key was the arrival of Maurizio Sarri, who was building an interesting project with an emphasis on ball control. Jorginho was a perfect fit for such a football, so he progressed significantly under the coaching of the Italian manager.
In Naples, the conditions for the overall progress were perfect. Thus, the Radio, Sarri, and the team turned into the Serie A title contenders. Although the team won the Italian Cup in 2014 and Supercopa right after, the real power Napoli became only after the arrival of Sarri in 2015. Thus, Chelsea decided to sign a deal with Maurizio, while the coach had one of the conditions of his move to the London club - signing Jorginho.
Move to Chelsea and way to the global top
The arrival of two new personalities in Chelsea in 2018 was quite controversial. The Italian coach looked unprepared for the work with the big names and under the pressure of British journalists. Jorginho's arrival for more than 50 million euros paid for his transfer was also doubtful. Thus, N'golo Kante had to change his position and looked unconfidently at another position on the field, while the Italian wasn't also too persuasive.
Although Sarri brought the Europa League trophy to the team, he was fired due to several conflicts with the ruling board, while the Radio stayed in the club. The period under Frank Lampard wasn't too good for Jorginho but showed him from quite another perspective, which allowed him to look more perspective in the EPL. By the way, if you are a die-hard fan and bet on sports, we recommend you to visit the sports rating betting sites in India and benefit from one of the trusted bookmakers.
The final step of the progress was made under Thomas Tuchel when the Professor (another nickname) looked great in the midfield. The Italian player also became better at playing in defence, which helped the team to win the Champions League in 2021. Kante and Jorginho were probably the best duet in the midfield and outplayed all the opponents.
This success was multiplied by the victory on the Euro 2020, which was played in the summer of 2021 because of covid delays. The Radio was talking a lot in the midfield and led the whole team to success, becoming one of the best players in the tournament and pretending for the Ballon d'Or. During the voting, he even took third place after Messi and Lewandowski, which was a great success for the Italian players after a long pause. The last suchlike success for Italy was in 2006, when they won the World Cup, while Cannavaro took the Ballon d'Or, while Buffon arrived second in the voting.
Net worth, playstyle and unique penalties
Jorginho is among the players who joined the list of top players quite lately, being close to 30. Thus, his salary became really top only in 2018, after he moved to Chelsea, where he started earning about 10 million dollars annually. At the same time, his net worth is estimated at the level of 20 million dollars, while these numbers can look a bit understated.
While the majority about Jorginho's playstyle we have already said, his penalty shootouts should be mentioned. Thus, the Professor makes a little pause before touching the ball, looking at what the goalkeeper is doing and what corner is going to keep. It allows him to choose the corner at the very last moment and send the ball into the unprotected corner. Such a technique looks unusual but confirms the nickname the "Professor" as Jorginho wants to control the ball as long as he can.