“It’s hard to keep the thoughts about the Ballon d'Or out” – Chelsea star Jorginho describes nomination as “unreal”

Can Jorginho win the Ballon d'Or this year?

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has revealed it would be "unreal" if he ends up winning the Ballon d'Or this year. The Italian is among the favorites to claim the coveted trophy after winning the Champions League and Euro 2020 titles this year.

The 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or were recently revealed, with Chelsea dominating the list with five players. Jorginho was joined by Mason Mount, Cesar Azpilicueta, N'Golo Kante, and Romelu Lukaku on the list, although Edouard Mendy was surprisingly left out.

The Telegraph caught up with Jorginho this week and spoke to the Chelsea man about his Ballon d'Or nomination and what it meant to him. The Italian said it was hard to keep his focus on football when there was so much talk about his nomination.

"It's, if I had to say a word, unreal. My dream was just to be a professional footballer and then things started to happen and I kept believing and working really hard," he said. "It's hard to keep it [thoughts about the Ballon d'Or] out because there's a lot going on about it and a lot of people saying these things, which I appreciate a lot. But I try to not think that much because then I lose focus on other important things we are fighting for. I just try to wait and see what's going to happen."

Jorginho added that the nomination was just reward for the years of hard work he has put in to reach such a high level.

"In everyone's mind, that wouldn't be possible because it would be, like, too much. But then nothing's impossible, you just need to believe. And want it, really want it, and then you can achieve it. I come from a really small town. And just to have an opportunity, for someone who comes from there, it's really hard and rare. I had to go across the world, change my life completely at 15 and then I find myself here, all these things happening and it's just unreal," he said.

Will Chelsea's Jorginho end up winning the Ballon d'Or?

There are no clear-cut favorites for the Ballon d'Or this year, with around four players in the race. Chelsea's Jorginho will have to compete with the likes of Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, and Karim Benzema, while Mohamed Salah is also making a late charge for the trophy.

But considering the year he has had, the Italian will fancy his chances of winning the coveted individual honor come November.