Chelsea star Jorginho jokes he would vote for HIMSELF to win the Ballon d'Or

Jorginho has joked that he would vote for himself for this year's Ballon d'Or as it would ensure he'd get at least one nomination for the award.

The 29-year-old won the Champions League with Chelsea at the end of May, before playing a pivotal role in Italy's Euro 2020 triumph and was among the 30 players shortlisted for the illustrious prize, which will be handed out on November 29.

The Ballon d'Or is often dominated by attacking players, with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo winning the last 11 of 12 awards on offer, with Luka Modric the only man to break the duo's stranglehold on it three years ago.

So when Jorginho was asked who would get his vote, the Italian laughed that it would have to be for himself to make sure he at least gets one nomination – although Man City star Kevin De Bruyne would be his real pick.

'If I don't vote for me, who will vote? I want to have at least one vote! Just kidding,' Jorginho told ESPN Brasil.

'I believe I'd vote for Kevin de Bruyne for everything he's been doing and for the beautiful football he's been showing in recent years.

'For those who like football, it's great to see him play because he understands football, he is a player with above-average intelligence.'

Jorginho's nomination for De Bruyne would see him overlook the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Messi and Mohamed Salah who are all tipped as favourites to win the award.

Only four midfielders - Luis Figo in 2000, Pavel Nedved in 2003, Kaka in 2007 and Luka Modric in 2018 - have won the Ballon d'Or since the turn of the century.

The award has often been criticised for overlooking players with predominantly defensive duties in favour of goalscorers – which is voted for by journalists, international coaches and captains.

And Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel believes Jorginho fully deserves to win the gong at the end of next month.

'Jorginho deserves to win the Ballon d’Or,' the Chelsea manager said during an appearance at the annual Sports Festival in the Italian city of Trento, according to Football Italia.

'He’s a very intelligent player and it’s a pleasure to be his coach.'

Tuchel suggested that picking a winner from a shortlist of footballers playing in different roles was far from an exact science and it devalued the award.

'He [Jorginho] has a great vision of football,' the German added.

'For me, individual prizes don’t have great significance, it’s impossible to make a real comparison between several players of different roles.

'I would like one of my players to win it because I would know what the effect would be.

'Then Jorginho is a great person and an excellent player, but in general it’s not the most important thing.'

The Brazilian-born Italy international is one of five Chelsea players nominated for the award, along with fellow midfielders Mason Mount and N'Golo Kante as well as Cesar Azpilicueta and Romelu Lukaku.