August 27, (THEWILL) – It has come as a deserved reward for the amazing year that Jorginho has had as the Italian midfielder was named the winner of the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year (POTY) award to see him cap off what was a truly unforgettable 2020/2021 season.
Jorge Luiz Frello Filho Cavaliere, who is more popularly known by the single name Jorginho, deservedly beat N’Golo Kante, his French teammate, and Manchester City’s Belgian star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, to claim the Men’s POTY award.
Excelling at club and country, the Brazil-born midfielder was at the heart of the trophies won by Chelsea and Italy. From his position in the midfield, he scored seven Premier League goals to help the Blues to a fourth-place finish, while remaining instrumental to their Champions League final 1-nil triumph over EPL rivals Manchester City.
Yet, even more success awaited the 29-year-old with Italy at Euro 2020, where he featured in every game being subbed off just once in all seven matches the Azzurri played to a successful second ever European title. He even converted the decisive spot-kick against Spain in the semis, though he missed his penalty in the shootout in the final against England.
In strictly goal terms, it might be difficult to quantify Jorginho’s impact as he does not often pose much of a threat around the 18-yard box. In his professional career, 17 of his 26 goals in domestic leagues have been penalty kicks. He also cannot be said to account for a high volume of his team’s assists the way a player like De Bruyne does.
Yet, his contribution to the steeliness of the defensive midfield position he occupies in whichever team he features in is vividly demonstrated by the pair of major trophies he lifted within a two-month span in Europe and the statistics that support what he brings to the team.
Thomas Tuchel, his manager at Chelsea, said of him in August: “Jorgi is a very strategic player. He knows what to do in possession, he can imagine what is going to happen one or two passes ahead, and he knows where to help out in short distances and longer distances.
“He knows when to switch the play and not to switch the play. He has a good sense of rhythm. He organises the environment around him and that allows him to show his true abilities in controlling the rhythm of a game.”
Early perception of his talent was coloured by opinions that believed he was a favourite of former manager Maurizio Sarri after following him from Naples to London. He was unfavourably criticised when the Blues finished a distant third in the Premier League in that 2018/2019 campaign.
All that is a distant memory and his value to the side is no more in doubt. For this season in the EPL, Chelsea is shaping up to be a more serious threat to Manchester City for the title. Jorginho is likely to have a big say in whether the reigning champions are dethroned. And it will be lively to follow from his award going forward
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
