# Jorginho (footballer, born 1991)
**Jorginho** (Jorge Luiz Frello Filho, born 1991 in Imbituba, Brazil) is a Brazilian-born, naturalized Italian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and deep-lying playmaker, currently for Flamengo and formerly for Hellas Verona, Napoli, Chelsea, Arsenal, and the Italy national team. He won the [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league) and the European Championship in 2021 and finished third in that year's [Ballon d'Or](https://www.edgepedia.org/ballon-dor) voting.[1](https://www.figc.it/it/full-html?path=%2Fnazionali%2Fazzurri%2Fnazionale-a-archiviato%2Fultimi-convocati%2Fjorginho) • [2](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/jorginho--in-his-own-words) • [3](https://www.fotmob.com/players/282775/jorginho)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Jorge Luiz Frello Filho, born 1991 in Imbituba, Brazil; naturalized Italian[1](https://www.figc.it/it/full-html?path=%2Fnazionali%2Fazzurri%2Fnazionale-a-archiviato%2Fultimi-convocati%2Fjorginho) |
| Position | Defensive midfielder and deep-lying playmaker; right-footed[3](https://www.fotmob.com/players/282775/jorginho) |
| Clubs | Hellas Verona, Napoli (from January 2014, €9.5M), Chelsea (2018), Arsenal (January 2023, €11.3M), Flamengo[4](https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/players/jorginho/transfer-history) • [3](https://www.fotmob.com/players/282775/jorginho) |
| Major honors | Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup with Chelsea; European Championship with Italy in 2021[5](https://as.com/us/futbol/quienes-son-los-jugadores-mas-destacados-que-han-jugado-para-arsenal-y-chelsea-n/) • [6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/) |
| Ballon d'Or | Third-best men's player in the world for 2021, from a defensive midfield position[2](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/jorginho--in-his-own-words) |
| Italy record | 2018–2024: 44 caps, 3,687 minutes, 5 goals (all penalties), 1 assist[7](https://theanalyst.com/players/3776/jorginho/national/career) |
| Penalty method | Goalkeeper-dependent technique: waits for the keeper to commit before placing the ball the other side[6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/) |
## Early life and career in Italy
Jorginho was born in Imbituba, in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, and developed as a footballer in Italy, in the youth systems of Verona and Sassuolo. After a season with Sambonifacese, he made his [Serie A](https://www.edgepedia.org/serie-a) debut in 2011 with Verona, the club known as the Scaligeri.[1](https://www.figc.it/it/full-html?path=%2Fnazionali%2Fazzurri%2Fnazionale-a-archiviato%2Fultimi-convocati%2Fjorginho) He moved to Napoli in the January 2014 transfer window for a reported fee of €9.5 million.[4](https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/players/jorginho/transfer-history)
At Napoli he played as the single pivot (lone defensive midfielder shielding the defense) in [Maurizio Sarri](https://www.edgepedia.org/maurizio-sarri)'s 4-3-3, the role in which he built the reputation that later carried him to the Premier League.[6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/) He has described how his position developed: he started as a striker as a child, moved back to the number 10 role, and settled as a *regista*, the Italian term for a deep-lying playmaker that doubles as the word for a film director, by the age of 13.[2](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/jorginho--in-his-own-words)
## Chelsea
When Sarri was appointed Chelsea manager in July 2018, Jorginho was the signing the Italian demanded above all others, and the club beat Manchester City, whose coaching staff included assistant [Mikel Arteta](https://www.edgepedia.org/mikel-arteta), to his signature.[6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/) His first season required adaptation: he has said the Premier League brought more tackles and fighting for the ball than the tactical games of Serie A, and that he had to improve defensively and in intensity to stay.[2](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/jorginho--in-his-own-words)
**Penalties and a unique scoring season.** In 2019/20 he finished as Chelsea's leading league scorer with seven goals, all of them penalties, a first for the club in that season's context.[2](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/jorginho--in-his-own-words) His spot-kick method is deliberately risky: he waits for the goalkeeper to move before slotting the ball to the opposite side, a technique with an impressive success rate that draws heavy criticism when it fails.[6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/)
Under Sarri, and later in the midfield three alongside [Mateo Kovačić](https://www.edgepedia.org/mateo-kovacic) and [N'Golo Kanté](https://www.edgepedia.org/ngolo-kante) under [Thomas Tuchel](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-tuchel) and Graham Potter, Jorginho operated as the base of Chelsea's passing structure. Tactical analysis of his 2019/20 season found that at Napoli he had been surrounded by teammates such as Hamšík and Allan who always offered him a passing option, while at Chelsea the midfielders around him sometimes pushed forward and left him isolated against the opposition press.[8](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/jorginho-201920-his-transformation-at-chelsea-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics) Opponents responded by targeting him directly: analysis of how to stop Chelsea concluded that man-marking Jorginho, ideally two against one, together with marking his advanced passing options, was the effective scheme, because without him the wider players lost the channel that connected their passing patterns.[9](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/jorginho-chelsea-tactical-analysis-statistics)
His trophy haul at Stamford Bridge comprised the Europa League, the Champions League, the [UEFA Super Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-super-cup), and the Club World Cup.[5](https://as.com/us/futbol/quienes-son-los-jugadores-mas-destacados-que-han-jugado-para-arsenal-y-chelsea-n/)
## Style of play
Jorginho is a ball-playing central midfielder best used as the main point through which his team's possession flows. He controls the tempo from deep, links defense with midfield and midfield with attack, and moves laterally to receive short passes wherever possible. He can play as the single pivot in a midfield three or as part of a double pivot, and in a two he is most comfortable on the right side of central midfield, receiving on the half-turn and playing diagonal forward passes.[6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/)
Because so much play goes through him, the majority of his passes are sideways, and much of his most important work is moving the ball to draw opponents out of their defensive structure. He receives almost exclusively in front of the opposition midfield, rarely sets up chances directly, and instead takes responsibility for absorbing pressure and recycling possession. His distinctive skill is the clipped long ball in behind for a wide runner, which he plays with precise timing; these passes often produce the pass before the assist rather than assists themselves.[6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/)
Out of possession he positions himself in front of the defense, screens passes into attacking midfielders and strikers, and makes many interceptions through anticipation. His acknowledged weaknesses are physical: he is not particularly fast or agile, can be isolated in one-on-one situations, and as a single pivot can struggle to cover the wide areas on both sides of the defense.[6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/)
## Italy
[Antonio Conte](https://www.edgepedia.org/antonio-conte) first called Jorginho up to the national team in March 2016 for friendlies against Spain and Germany.[1](https://www.figc.it/it/full-html?path=%2Fnazionali%2Fazzurri%2Fnazionale-a-archiviato%2Fultimi-convocati%2Fjorginho) His competitive Italy career ran from 2018 to 2024 and produced 44 caps, 3,687 minutes, 5 goals, all scored from penalties, and 1 assist.[7](https://theanalyst.com/players/3776/jorginho/national/career) He was part of the squad that won the 2020 European Championship, played in 2021, and started all seven of Italy's matches at that tournament without scoring.[7](https://theanalyst.com/players/3776/jorginho/national/career) In qualifying for that tournament he scored 3 penalties in 9 matches.[7](https://theanalyst.com/players/3776/jorginho/national/career)
The combination of the European Championship and the Champions League in 2021 underpinned his third-place finish in the Ballon d'Or, an unusually high finish for a defensive midfielder.[2](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/jorginho--in-his-own-words)
## Arsenal and Flamengo
Arsenal signed Jorginho from Chelsea on 31 January 2023, deadline day of the 2022/23 season, for a reported £12 million (recorded as €11.3 million in transfer records).[6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/) • [4](https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/players/jorginho/transfer-history) Arteta had pushed for City to sign him years earlier, and the move brought experience to a young squad, though the signing was framed as strengthening the squad rather than the first-choice eleven.[6](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/) His departure, along with [Thomas Partey](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-partey)'s, was later cited as shaping Arsenal's subsequent midfield recruitment.[10](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4349204/analysis-why-norgaard-will-slot-seamlessly-into-arsenals-midfield)
He later joined Flamengo, where as a 34-year-old defensive midfielder he recorded 2 goals, 2 assists, 1,541 minutes, and an average FotMob rating of 7.17 in the 2026 Série A season, scoring highly among Série A defensive midfielders on rating, assists, and minutes.[3](https://www.fotmob.com/players/282775/jorginho)
## References
1. [Jorginho, FIGC (Italian Football Federation) player profile](https://www.figc.it/it/full-html?path=%2Fnazionali%2Fazzurri%2Fnazionale-a-archiviato%2Fultimi-convocati%2Fjorginho)
2. [Ballon d'Or bronze medallist Jorginho: In his own words, Chelsea FC](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/jorginho--in-his-own-words)
3. [Jorginho, FotMob player profile](https://www.fotmob.com/players/282775/jorginho)
4. [Jorginho Transfer History, FootballTransfers](https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/players/jorginho/transfer-history)
5. [¿Quiénes son los jugadores más destacados que han jugado para Arsenal y Chelsea?, AS](https://as.com/us/futbol/quienes-son-los-jugadores-mas-destacados-que-han-jugado-para-arsenal-y-chelsea-n/)
6. [Jorginho scout report: Arsenal's new signing analysed, The Coaches' Voice](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/jorginho-chelsea-italy/)
7. [Jorginho International Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/3776/jorginho/national/career)
8. [Jorginho 2019/20: His transformation at Chelsea, Total Football Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/jorginho-201920-his-transformation-at-chelsea-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics)
9. [How to stop Jorginho?, Total Football Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/jorginho-chelsea-tactical-analysis-statistics)
10. [Analysis: Norgaard adds depth and attacking threat for Arsenal, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4349204/analysis-why-norgaard-will-slot-seamlessly-into-arsenals-midfield)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › Italian footballers born before 1995 › Surnames A to Ma*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license