“Incredible” Chelsea star is surely in contention for Ballon d’Or as ex-Red Devil compares him to Man Utd greats | OneFootball

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·25 July 2021

“Incredible” Chelsea star is surely in contention for Ballon d’Or as ex-Red Devil compares him to Man Utd greats

Article image:“Incredible” Chelsea star is surely in contention for Ballon d’Or as ex-Red Devil compares him to Man Utd greats

Chelsea star Jorginho is surely in contention for the Ballon d’Or after the superb season he had with the Blues and with the Italian national team, according to Luke Chadwick.

Jorginho has been praised for his role in his club and country lifting the Champions League and European Championships respectively in 2021, with former Manchester United midfielder Chadwick comparing him to the likes of Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick.


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The ex-Red Devil also feels it’s nice to see players of this style getting more recognition in the modern game, as it makes a change from the great goal-scorers like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo taking the prize every year.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside, Chadwick admitted that when you’ve played the game it can be more obvious just how important players like these are to teams, even if many fans tend to notice the attacking players more.

“Jorginho’s had an incredible season, winning the Champions League and the Euros. He obviously missed the penalty that could’ve won it for them, which would’ve been the icing on the cake for him,” Chadwick said.

“I think he has had a brilliant season in terms of the way he plays the game. Players like that are appreciated more by people who know the game really well, players like Scholes and Carrick, the experts watching them always see what they bring to the team and how important they are.

“Scholes at United was probably seen as the most important and valuable player. You hear the likes of Xavi and Iniesta talking about him as one of the best ever, and maybe some fans don’t quite see that, because they look for the players who score all the goals or set up all the goals. When players like that come to the end of their career they’re maybe appreciated a bit more than during their career.

Article image:“Incredible” Chelsea star is surely in contention for Ballon d’Or as ex-Red Devil compares him to Man Utd greats

Jorginho for the Ballon d’Or?

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“As time goes on these sort of players are being seen as more important to the game. Jorginho is a fantastic ball-playing midfielder, who gets the team playing, moves it well in tight areas, switches the play … obviously Kante is a different mould, a runner, someone who gets close to people, but I think players like this are getting appreciated more and more as the game evolves and you see what they do for their teams, whereas it used to be the strikers and wingers who took all the plaudits.

“Deep-lying midfielders are now really important in the game and we’re seeing kids coming through who recognise that role they play in their teams.

“Jorginho has got to be in with a shout of winning the Ballon d’Or. He probably hasn’t had a lot of performances where he was man of the match, putting in a 9/10 performance week in, week out, but it’s his consistency and his elegant play in the mould of a Scholes or a Carrick that means he’d be a deserved winner.

“Lionel Messi will surely be in with a shout again after his performances at the Copa America, but it’s nice to see that the award is not just being dominated by Ronaldo and Messi every year, it’s good to see other players get a sniff.”

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