Zola Backs Jorginho To Challenge Messi For Ballon D’or
Gianfranco Zola is adamant Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho deserves to win the Ballon D’or this year ahead of odds-on favourite Lionel Messi.
Jorginho played pivotal roles in helping Chelsea win the UEFA Champions League trophy over Manchester City in May and the 29-year-old admirably controlled affairs in midfield as Italy defeated England on penalties to win EURO 2020.
The former Napoli man finished the 2020/2021 season as Chelsea’s top scorer in the Premier League with seven goals; all from the penalty spot.
Messi capped an impressive 2020/2021 campaign for Barcelona by leading Argentina to win their first Copa America title since 1993. The trophy was the 34-year-old’s first senior international triumph for his country.
Already a winner of the Ballon d’or six times in the past, Messi scored 38 goals in all competitions for Barcelona last season, helping them to win the Copa del Rey in the process while he scored four times and provided five assists in South America’s flagship football tournament in Brazil earlier this month.
"The Ballon d'Or is usually awarded to a striker or an offensive player who can score a lot," Zola told Stats Perform.
"Now we are talking about a fantastic player like [Lionel] Messi who did extraordinary things for the first time with his national team – and this won’t go unnoticed.
"Should they give it to Jorginho, it would be deserved. He gives concrete balance and pace to his teams. I was lucky to have him at Chelsea and I know what he does on the pitch.
"It would be deserved because not only were his performances at a high level, but the teams he played for have been outstanding. This must be taken into account."
