‘I feel blessed, because I’m living my dream. That’s why I always try to smile and to be happy. But everything changes when I go on the pitch! Then, my focus is just on the game.’
Despite his seriousness on the pitch, that joy of playing what is, after all, known as the beautiful game never leaves Jorginho.
‘What’s incredibly important is to never forget where you’re from. Even though in football there’s a lot of pressure on us and it demands a lot in our day-by-day, we need to remember that football is more than just results, and that it’s also about what people feel in the heart, it’s about your love for the game.
‘You have to remember where you’re from and you have to remember what football gives and provides for so many people. That’s really important and I remember that every day and it serves as a motivation for me to go out there and improve.’
Adaptation
Tactically, Serie A and the Premier League are like chalk and cheese, although it must be said that English football has come a long way from the direct football that was the norm in years gone by. For Jorginho, that meant he had to adapt to a new way of operating.
‘More tackles, more fighting for the ball than just tactical games. So that was really different, and when I first moved it was not just different, but really hard as well. I had to adapt myself, I had to improve, I had to learn and I’m grateful that I came here, where I could learn from this amazing championship that is the Premier League.
‘I think I’ve learned a lot and I’ve improved a lot, defensively, and also in terms of intensity and putting in the energy, and tackles. The benefits come from adapting to these things, because if you don’t adapt yourself here, you need to leave. So I adapted, I learned a lot, and I’m really glad about that.’