Fabio Capello firmly believes that Chelsea midfielder Jorginho would be a deserving winner of the Ballon d’Or.

The former England manager claims it is not only because the 29-year-old has won the Champions League with the Blues and the European Championships with Italy over the last year, but also due to his importance to both teams:

“He undoubtedly deserves to win the Ballon d’Or, not just because he won everything but because he played a key role in those achievements. I don’t see players who were as decisive as him in 2021.”

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, Liverpool’s Mo Salah, Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, as well as the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are all potential candidates for the prize.

The Ballon d’Or is now no longer associated with FIFA and is voted for by 180 journalists, with the prize officially handed out by the magazine France Football.

A 30-man shortlist will be published on Friday, so there could be a number of Chelsea players named (along with Jorginho), including N’Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger. The winner is expected to be announced at the end of the year.