La Gazzetta dello Sport suggests Jorginho could be awarded the Ballon d’Or if Italy win the Euros.
Jorginho has had a brilliant 2020-21 campaign, having won the Champions League with Chelsea and reached the UEFA Euro 2020 semi-finals with Italy.
La Gazzetta dello Sport analyses the performances of the former Napoli and Hellas Verona playmaker saying he would deserve to win the Ballon d’Or if the Azzurri triumph at the European Championships.
In a season where Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi failed to achieve relevant results in the Champions League, there could be room for a different Ballon d’Or winner.
The paper points out that former Germany defender Matthias Sammer was the last to be awarded Best Player of the Year after winning the Euros in 1996.
Jorginho da Pallone d'oro: questa Italia può farlo vincere #Euro2020 https://t.co/gtZUW2pX8G
— La Gazzetta dello Sport (@Gazzetta_it) July 4, 2021
Fabio Cannavaro was the last Italian player to win the Ballon d’Or after the Azzurri’s World Cup triumph in 2006.
The former defender was followed by Gianluigi Buffon, who had decided to play in Serie B with Juventus after the Calciopoli scandal.
It remains to be seen which impact the EURO 2020 winners will have on the choice of the next Ballon d’Or. Cristiano Ronaldo (2106 and 2008), Andriy Shevchenko (2004) and Figo (2000) won it even though they hadn’t conquered the Euros with their national teams.
Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane are also credible contenders for both the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA Player of the Year award, but Jorginho could challenge them if Italy win the Euros.
Luka Modric was the last player to lift the Ballon d’Or in 2019 as France Football cancelled the award in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.