London: Euro 2021 and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year winner Jorginho has expressed his dissent over being judged and criticised for his amicable relationship with former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri. The Italian tactician brought in the 29-year-old from Napoli after taking up his job at London, in a hope that the midfielder would play a pivotal role as he had been in Naples.
“My start at Chelsea made me miss (Napoli) even more,” Jorginho wrote in The Players’ Tribune. “We all remember what they were saying, right? I was too slow. I was too weak. I was Sarri’s son. Man, it made me so angry,” he added.
Jorginho had some struggles at first, coping up with the Premier League football and often faltered that garnered a lot of criticism from the fans. Jorginho stated that the supporters underestimated his talents and he is more than glad to have proven them wrong.
“But listen, they underestimated me. You see, I’ve had a turbulent start at every club I’ve been with. Every club. It’s incredible. When I came to Verona, nobody wanted me. They sent me on loan to the fourth division. Nobody wanted me there either,” said Jorginho.
“But I kept working and I won respect. I went back to Verona and we went up to Serie A. I had a hard year at Napoli, too, and then Sarri came and changed everything. So the Chelsea stuff? Puh! I just used the criticism as fuel. I was thinking, These people are going to be embarrassed.
“And now I’m sitting here with a Europa League title and a Champions League title. So to all the critics, I just want to say one thing. Thank you. Really, thank you all,” said the playmaker.
Jorginho had a redemption that could only be dreamt of. From being termed a flop to becoming the most important man for Chelsea, it took him four years to achieve the place although Sarri left a year later. The Azzuri midfielder is now one of the top contenders for Ballon d’Or 2021 along with Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
