What do you call a Brazilian playing in Italy?
Well, if your name is Jorginho, you’re called nothing. Or, to put it a better way, you’re never called up.
The 25-year-old midfielder is in the form of his life at Napoli.
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Under Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri the former Verona midfielder has become the fulcrum of one of Europe’s most exciting teams.
In five Serie A appearances this season he’s averaging 92.6% pass accuracy with an average of 105 passes a game.
So, to put it bluntly, he’s a midfield metronome at the peak of his powers.
But he continues to be overlooked at international level.
Jorginho was born in Brazil but moved to Italy at the age of 15, gaining citizenship through his grandparents.
He was called up to the Italian national squad in 2016, playing in friendlies against Spain and Germany, but hasn’t been seen since.
Even when Marco Veratti was forced to pull out of the current squad Italy boss Gian Piero Ventura called up 20-year-old Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella instead.
Brazil are reportedly trying to persuade Jorginho to play for his country of birth again before he’s capped for Italy in a competitive game.
Has Gareth Southgate checked whether he’s got any English blood?
