Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has revealed he plans to vote for Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne to win the upcoming 2021 Ballon d'Or.
The Italian is among the favourites to win the award himself, having enjoyed an excellent calendar year which saw him win the Champions League and Super Cup with Chelsea and the European Championships with Italy.
Having said that, speaking to ESPN Brazil, Jorginho joked that he's not expecting many votes and might even be tempted to vote for himself just to make sure he gets one on the board.
"If I don’t vote for me, who will vote? I want to have at least one vote!" he laughed. "I'm just kidding.
"I believe I’d vote for Kevin De Bruyne for everything he’s been doing and for the beautiful football he’s been showing in recent years. For those who like football, it’s great to see him play because he understands football, he is a player with above-average intelligence.”
De Bruyne is expected to be in with an outside shot at winning, although the two runaway favourites for the award are Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, the latter of whom is the popular choice to pick up the prize.
As for Jorginho, he has been receiving widespread praise over the past few months for his influential role with both club and country, despite initially being criticised for his lack of impact during the early days of his Chelsea tenure.
“I’ve always tried to put my game in the Premier League, not the other way around," he said. "I learned the issue of physical contact and intensity.
"I put it in my style, because I don’t have the physical build to want to go into the Premier League style of running and brawling. I get this, I try to insert it into my style of play.”
Source : 90min