Chelsea have five players in the 30-man list who have been nominated for the prestigious Ballon'Or award
Jorginho is among the players who made the shortlist, with the midfielder looking to add the prize to his cabinet
According to Thomas Tuchel, the Italian deserves to win the award after a stellar campaign last season for both club and country
Jorginho will be coming up against strong contenders including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Lewandowski

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has said Jorginho deserves to win the Ballon d'Or award.

Jorginho celebrates after scoring for Italy during the Euros. Photo: Getty Images. — Jorginho is among the 30 players who made the shortlist, with the midfielder looking to add the prize to his cabinet. Photo: Getty Images.
Source: Getty Images

Jorginho played a central role in the Blues' stunning Champions League campaign last season which saw them lift the European title after silencing Man City in the final staged in Porto.

The 29-year-old midfielder followed up the success by helping Italy to conquer Europe as they won the 2020 Euros.

His stellar campaign saw them listed among a number of top footballers for the Ballon d'Or award.

The 30-man list for the prize was dominated by Premier League players, with five Chelsea players being shortlisted.

Other Chelsea players in contention for the prestigious gong include N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Cesar Azpilicueta and Romelu Lukaku.

Serial winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are also eyeing the award alongside PSG duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

However, while speaking to Gazzetta dello Sports, Tuchel suggested Jorginho deserves to win the award, describing the Italy international as "an intelligent player" who he has been privileged to manage.

"He deserves it, he is one of those who deserve to win the Ballon d’Or," Tuchel said as quoted by Metro UK.

"He is a very intelligent player and it’s a pleasure to be his coach," he added.

Messi snubs Ronaldo, picks Neymar, Mbappe, Lewandowski and Benzema as players he'll vote for Ballon d'Or award

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Lionel Messi has snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of nominees who he will vote to win this year's Ballon d'Or award.

Messi has won the award a record six times while playing for Barcelona, followed by Ronaldo, who has won five (one with Manchester United and four with Real Madrid).

And as we build up to yet another edition of the award, Messi says he would rather give the award to one of his PSG teammates - Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

The pair, along with Messi are yet to really gel together this season at PSG, but the Argentine is still convinced they have enough talent to be considered for the Ballon d'Or.

Surprisingly, it's not just Messi who doubts Ronaldo will add a sixth Ballon d'Or to his trophy cabinet.

Bookies have got the Portuguese star down as the sixth favourite to win the prize, behind Chelsea aces Jorgino and N'Golo Kante.

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