Maurizio Sarri supports Jorginho as this year’s Ballon d’Or winner. But he said the Italian defensive midfielder had to win the 2020 European Cup first.
Jorginho was Sarri’s mainstay when he coached at Napoli and Chelsea. Unlike Sarri, currently Jorginho is still staying at Stamford Bridge and continues to be a mainstay of Thomas Tuchel.
He started every game when Chelsea won the Champions League last season, and missed only once in the last 16 due to card accumulation. Moving on to Euro 2020, Jorginho is also Roberto Mancini’s mainstay coach in the Italian national team.
Sarri and Jorginho while at Chelsea in the 2018/19 season, won the Europa League title together. Photo: Ben Stansall / AFP |
Together with Gianluigi Donnarumma and Leonardo Bonucci, Jorginho has become a player who has always appeared in the five matches that Gli Azzurri have gone through. His ability to organize attacks and defend so far is irreplaceable.
In the semifinal against Spain, Jorginho is predicted to return to play from the start. For the hard work of his former team, Sarri gave high praise.
“If he wins Euro 2020, he will be a candidate to win the Ballon d’Or. He is a calm player, that’s why people don’t understand him,” Sarri told SportItalia.
“He makes things look easy on the pitch. That’s his greatness. When I was coaching Chelsea, we managed to overtake Manchester City in the transfer competition to get him.”
“Initially it was difficult to understand him, be it fans or journalists. But now he is very appreciated. Don’t forget, he is also (vice) captain at Chelsea,” explained Sarri, who is now coaching Lazio.
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