Jorginho has admitted he would love to win the most coveted individual trophy but insists he does not know the criteria for hoisting the golden ball.
The 29-year-old has brought himself in the conversation to win the award after helping the Azzurri to their first title since 2006 and winning the Champions League in the 2020/2021 season with the Blues.
The former Napoli man could find it harder to beat Lionel Messi, who is said to be in pole position to win the award.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner, won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona and helped Argentina to their first Copa America title since 1993. He has also scored more goals and provided many assists than any player in 2021.
Jorginho’s club team-mate N’golo Kante, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski have all been tipped to also win the trophy.
The Brazilian-born Italian spoke about his chances of winning the award and revealed why he chose to play for Italy rather than Brazil.
“We all have dreams. But I’ll be honest, it depends on the criteria a decision is made based on. If we’re talking about talent then I know I’m not the best in the world,” he said.
“But if it’s going on titles, then nobody has won more than I have this season. How could I compare myself to Messi, Neymar or Cristiano Ronaldo?
“They’ve completely different characteristics to me. But, I repeat, it depends on the criteria. I didn’t think twice.
He added: “After the Under-21s I only played friendlies for Italy, then in November 2017 I was called up for the World Cup playoff against Sweden.
“Then, Brazil wanted me too. Playing for Brazil was my dream since I was a child, but I thought that Italy needed help.
“And when I had needed help, Italy opened their doors to me and embraced me. My heart said ‘Italy needs you’, so I made that decision and I’m very happy that I did.”
