"My vote in the Ballon d'Or? Myself; I want to have at least one!"

Jorginho would vote for Kevin de Bruyne for this year's Ballon d'Or, in which he is a finalist. He admitted as much in an interview with 'ESPN', in which he also spoke about his origins and joked at first that he would put his own name on his ballot to have at least one in the final tally.

"Who would I vote for? Jorginho (laughs). If I don't vote for me, who will vote for me? I want to have at least one vote! Just kidding. I think I would vote for Kevin de Bruyne because of everything he has been doing and the beautiful football he has been showing in the last few years. For those who like football, it's really nice to see him play because he understands football. He is a player with above-average intelligence," he said.

On his first steps, he said: "An Italian coach put me in midfield and said it was my position, where I would have a chance to go further. He was right (laughs). Until then, my childhood idols were Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Kaka. In this position, I started to look more fondly at Pirlo and Xavi, who were my role models, and I was very inspired. I watched a lot of games because it was nice to see them play and also to learn.

"My mother's support? I even get goosebumps when I remember these things, I really do. Thinking about her at this time is special. Unfortunately, she went back to Brazil after the Champions League final, which was surreal, and she missed the Euros because there was no way back to England," he continued.

He also discussed his adaptation to the Premier League, where he began to excel after arriving at Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea: "I've always tried to impose my game on the Premier League, not the other way around. I learned about physical contact and intensity. I added it to my style because I don't have the physical constitution to choose."