Jorginho continues to make the headlines for all the right reasons, in what has been an extraordinary year for him with both club and country.
Fresh off being crowned as the UEFA Best Player in Europe for being an integral part of Chelsea’s dominant Champions League win as well as Italy’s EURO 2020 success, the Brazilian-born Italian midfielder sat down with The Players’ Tribune to chart his resilient struggle to the top of the game from his humble origins.
And just like the midfield maestro’s performances have been throughout the last season, he did not disappoint once again as he produced one of the best articles that you will read all year.
In the article titled “To Anyone Who’s Dreaming,” Jorginho speaks directly to all those who have aspirations – and writes about how he did just about anything to be able to live his dream.
The Blues midfielder revisits the dark days of his past, to begin with, as he wrote about cleaning toilets in his native Brazil – not knowing whether he can ever play professional football.
Despite his mother’s disapproval of his way of living, Jorginho insisted that he would go to any extent to realize his dreams – and he did exactly that when he moved to his great grandfather’s native Italy at the age of 15.
Despite all of his sacrifices at such a young age, things did not work out initially and Jorginho found himself at the brink of hitting rock bottom when he fell out with his agent.
Crestfallen, Jorginho called his mother on the phone and told her of his will to come back – but instead of welcoming her son, his mother said that the door would be closed if he decided to come back. Jorginho stays highly complimentary of his mother and credits her with all his talent in football.
Jorginho also does not forget to spare a thought for his critics, as he revisits his early days in England when he was criticized for his alleged relationship with Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri and the style of his game – but Jorginho insists that he has always found it tough in his first year at a new club, citing examples of his Hellas Verona and Napoli spells as well.
And just as he did before, Jorginho used the criticism he got as his own personal fuel, and now is a double European champion in under a year (triple if we include the Super Cup). Jorginho finishes the article with his advice for all the dreamers, concluding a brilliant article that will leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart and force you to follow your dreams.
