jorginho

It's been 15 years since a player from the Italian national team last won the Ballon d’Or. Fabio Cannavaro scooped the award following an impressive year that saw him lead his country to the World Cup in 2006.

Only five Italian players in history have been awarded the most prestigious individual award in the sport. Omar Sivori (1961), Gianni Rivera (1969), Paolo Rossi (1982), Roberto Baggio (1993) and Cannavaro (2006). Jorginho could be the latest Azzuri player to be added to that list in 2021.

Napoli midfielder Jorginho has opened the possibility of plying his trade for a Premier League club next season. The Italy international played the entire 90 minutes of the 1-1 draw against England at the Wembley Stadium, and shortly after the friendly, the midfielder was quizzed whether he would be able to adapt to top-flight football in England.

“I think that I could fit. It depends on who else is around me - I need players with the same characteristics that I have. There are English teams with this style of play, ball on the ground, quick transitions, high pressure. If one of those teams wanted me, I could fit and the other way round. My football way is not a usual one,” he is quoted as saying by The Mirror.