Jorginho crowned UEFA’s Player of the Year after Chelsea and Italy success

Jorginho’s brilliant summer has continued after he was crowned UEFA’s Player of the Year following his double European triumph.

The 29-year-old has enjoyed a brilliant few months – winning the Champions League final with Chelsea before mirroring those feats at international level as Italy became Euro 2020 champions.

And on Thursday he completed a hat-trick of accolades as he was crowned UEFA’s best player of last season.

Jorginho beat N’Golo Kante (centre) and Kevin De Bruyne to UEFA’s top individual prize

Jorginho won the Champions League with Chelsea and then Euro 2020 with Italy this summer

The midfielder beat Chelsea team-mate N’Golo Kante and Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to the top prize.

Chelsea’s No 5’s big moment was officially announced during Thursday’s Champions League group-stage draw.

Jorginho said: ‘I’ve very sorry I can’t be there at his important moment due to the restrictions but I wanted to say that I’m very happy with this award.

‘I would like to say thank to you all the people who made their contribution to making this happen, a big thanks from the heart to all the people who helped me on this journey, from family to friends, to the supporters and my teammates and to people who didn’t believe in me. 

‘They motivated me to work even more so thanks to them as well. I’ve very happy, a hug to everybody.’

Jorginho, Kante and De Bruyne had made the final three-man shortlist ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.

Jorginho and Kante’s partnership was a huge strength for Chelsea as they went on to lift the trophy against the odds after defeating Manchester City in last season’s final in Porto. 

Jorginho has beaten off competition from Kevin De Bruyne and N’Golo Kante for UEFA’s gong

Robert Lewandowski was named UEFA’s best player for last season but missed out this year

And the former’s year got even better when two months later he won the European Championship with Italy after playing in every match. 

Being crowned UEFA’s Player of the Year will boost his hopes of also claiming the prestigious Ballon d’Or.

If it transpires that Jorginho is crowned the winner of that prize, he would become only the second player other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win it since 2008 after Luka Modric scooped the award three years ago.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Italy star is currently the joint-fifth favourite with the bookies to win the Ballon d’Or, behind Messi, Lewandowski and Kante, while alongside Kylian Mbappe.

With Jorginho cementing his place among the best midfielders in the world in the last year, Chelsea are also said to be planning to reward him by tabling a new long-term contract.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Jorginho is one of several first-team players Chelsea want to tie down and club chiefs are expected to sit down with the player and his representatives in the coming weeks and months to propose a new contract. 

Jorginho will now have his hopes boosted of winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or later this year

Luka Modric is the only player other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to have won the prize since 2008 – winning the award in 2018 after shining for Real Madrid and Croatia

The Euro 2020 winner has already underlined his importance to Chelsea this term with strong displays in all three of their matches, helping the club to win the UEFA Super Cup and make a perfect start to the new Premier League season. 

Elsewhere, Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy was named goalkeeper of the year while Ruben Dias of Manchester City clinched the defender of the year prize.

Jorginho’s Chelsea team-mate N’Golo Kante won the midfielder of the year award and Borussia Dortmund starlet was named forward of the year.

Thomas Tuchel was named manager of the year after steering Chelsea to European glory earlier this summer.