Jorginho
Who is Jorginho?
Jorge Luiz Frello Filho, simply known as Jorginho, is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea.
Jorginho was born on 20 December 1991 in Brazil and moved to Italy at the age of 15. Jorginho spent his years of youth in Hellas Verona.
In summer 2010, the Italian midfielder was loaned out to Serie C2 club, Sambonifacese, where Jorginho played his first entire senior campaign for the Veneto team, playing 31 games, scoring one goal and providing ten assists.
Jorginho made his Serie A debut on 4 September 2011, in a game with Sassuolo as a substitute in the 76th minute. In winter 2014, Jorginho joined Napoli in a co-ownership deal with Verona for four and a half years.
On 12 February, the Italian midfielder scored the last goal as the Partenopei overturned a 3–2 first-leg deficit to beat Roma and reach the 2014 Coppa Italia Final.
While initially struggling to get into coach Rafael Benítez’s lineup, the Italian midfielder’s fortunes changed with the appointment of Maurizio Sarri, who was crucial to his development.
In 2017 the Italian midfielder had a breakthrough campaign with the Partenopei and was integral to their Serie A trophy challenge.
On 14 July 2018, the 29-year-old midfielder signed for Chelsea on a five-year deal on the same day as Maurizio Sarri was hired at the London club.
Jorginho joined for a transfer fee of £50m with £7m in possible add-ons. The Italian midfielder missed his first penalty for the Blues in the exact game where Jorginho played his 100th match for Chelsea.
Jorginho also led Chelsea in goals in the Premier League, all coming from penalties. On 29 May 2021, The 29-year-old midfielder won his first-ever Champions League with the Blues, beating Man City 1–0 in the final.
What is Jorginho’s international career like?
As Jorginho holds both Italian and Brazilian citizenship, the midfielder was eligible to play for both the Italian and Brazilian national teams. In 2012, Jorginho was called up for the first time for Italy U21.
In 2014, the 29-year-old midfielder expressed his desire to represent Italy rather than Brazil internationally, and the footballer received his first call up to the Italy senior team in March 2016, under coach Antonio Conte, for Squadra Azzurra’s international friendly games with Spain and Germany.
In June 2021, Jorginho was included in Italy’s team for UEFA Euro 2020 by coach Roberto Mancini. Jorginho helped Squadra Azzurra to win the tournament for the second time in their history.
