Jorginho has opened up on some of the criticism he received early in his Chelsea career, revealing that being called "Sarri's son" made him "so angry."
Maurizio Sarri brought Jorginho with him from Napoli after he was named Chelsea manager, hoping the Italy international could run his midfield in London as he had in Naples.
After some early struggles in London, Jorginho had to deal with talk that he was only in the lineup because of his relationship with his head coach.
What was said?
"My start at Chelsea made me miss [Napoli] even more," Jorginho wrote in The Players' Tribune. "We all remember what they were saying, right? I was too slow. I was too weak. I was Sarri’s son. Man, it made me so angry.
"But listen, they underestimated me. You see, I’ve had a turbulent start at every club I’ve been with. Every club. It’s incredible. When I came to Verona, nobody wanted me. They sent me on loan to the fourth division. Nobody wanted me there either.
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"But I kept working and I won respect. I went back to Verona and we went up to Serie A. I had a hard year at Napoli, too, and then Sarri came and changed everything.
"So the Chelsea stuff? Puh! I just used the criticism as fuel. I was thinking, These people are going to be embarrassed.
"And now I’m sitting here with a Europa League title and a Champions League title. So to all the critics, I just want to say one thing.
"Thank you. Really, thank you all."
Jorginho's turnaround
Though Sarri lasted just one season at Chelsea, Jorginho is now entering his fourth campaign with the Blues having enjoyed a banner year in 2021 thus far.
The 29-year-old helped Chelsea win the Champions League in May when they defeated Manchester City in the final. Less than two months later, he helped Italy win Euro 2020 when the Azzurri got past England in the final.
After his two major accomplishments, Jorginho was named UEFA Men's Player of the Year last week.