Few players have enjoyed a more dramatic turnaround in their public perception than Chelsea midfielder Jorginho.

Ridiculed and scapegoated during his early days at Stamford Bridge, the Italian must have enjoyed a wry smile when being crowned UEFA Men’s Player of the Year last Thursday.

But just how has the 29-year-old managed to trigger such a dramatic change of fortune?

Challenging beginnings

Born in Brazil, success has always been hard earned for the midfield metronome.

Having moved to Italy alone as a teenager to pursue his football dream, Jorginho was the victim of financial exploitation from his first agent — forced to live on just £17 per week for the initial two years he was playing in Europe.

As he told Chelsea’s official website, the experience nearly forced him to curtail his young career.

Jorginho said: "At that point I wanted to give up. I was completely devastated. I was fed up. 

"I phoned home in tears and told my mum I wanted to come home and I didn’t want to play football any more. 

"She said ‘Don’t even think about it! You’re so close, you’ve been there for a few years, I won’t let you back in the house! You need to stay there and hang tough.’

"So I stayed. I continued to train with the first team."

Hanging tough

That difficult experience clearly helped Jorginho develop a thick skin, having gone on to show impressive resilience during several tough spells in his playing career.

At his first club Verona, the midfielder was farmed out on loan and told by his coaches that his future lay elsewhere before an injury crisis saw him unexpectedly handed an opportunity.

Seizing it with both hands, by the time he left the club he had racked up 96 appearances and was firmly established as their prized asset.

However, another tough start awaited at Napoli where he struggled to break into the first-team picture under current Everton boss Rafael Benitez.

Not one to give up easily, Jorginho kept his head down and found himself identified by Benitez’s replacement, Maurizio Sarri, as the perfect individual to build a team around.

Deployed in his now renowned deep-lying midfield position, he became known as ‘Il Professore’ among his team-mates for the way he was able to dictate games in such masterful fashion.

His wide passing range, tactical awareness and impressive leadership made him a certainty to follow his manager across to Stamford Bridge in 2018.

Proving doubters wrong again

Arriving in London on the same day as Sarri, Jorginho was always going to be regarded as a close ally of the new Blues boss — which caused problems when things started to turn sour in the dugout.

Though the opinionated 62-year-old led Chelsea to Europa League glory, the 2018-19 campaign was one littered with inconsistent performances and it was of little surprise when Sarri opted to depart for Juventus after just one season in charge.

That left Jorginho in a tough spot, with most onlookers anticipating he would also opt for a return to Italy.

However, true to form, his determined nature would see him remain in England and, once again, establish himself as a regular under new boss Frank Lampard.

Yet while Lampard’s reign saw the Italian slowly win fans and critics over, it has been under the tutelage of current manager Thomas Tuchel where the Blues faithful have seen him at his very best.

Following the German’s January arrival, Jorginho missed only two league matches in the remainder of last campaign and played every minute he was available for in the club’s memorable Champions League triumph. 

His outstanding form last term also assured him starter status for Italy ahead of Euro 2020 — another trophy he would go on to lift in a truly remarkable year.

Appreciating his talents

Key to the stunning period that Jorginho has enjoyed is the faith that has been placed in his talents by Tuchel, who has made no secret of his admiration for his No5.

Recently asked about his value to the team, Tuchel could not help but eulogise about what the midfielder brings to the table.

Tuchel said: "I think Jorgi is a very strategic player. He can play in advance, knows what to do in ball possession, can imagine what is going to happen in one or two passes ahead.

"He knows where to help out in short distances and long distances, when to switch the play, when not to switch the play. He has a good sense of rhythm.

"He lacks, if you isolate him or watch him separately, the pure physical ability that makes him the number one candidate to be a number six in the Premier League.

"But once you have him in a structure, he is very well organised in his game, he organises all the environment around him, which helps him then, when everything is organised, and then he can show his true abilities in controlling the rhythm of a game."

His national coach Roberto Mancini is a big fan too, with the former Manchester City boss delivering a rousing endorsement only this past week.

The Italy chief said: "I would give him the Ballon d’Or. He deserves it because he won everything this season."

More to come

Having spent his career to date trying to prove his doubters wrong, Jorginho is now in the uncharted territory of receiving global acclaim for his success.

One of the names being touted as a potential Ballon d’Or winner, his playing style will now be used as a blueprint for young defensive midfielders to aspire to — his quality no longer called into question.

Yet, speaking to The Players’ Tribune recently, the Chelsea star suggested that it is intense scrutiny that has actually driven him to the top of the game.

He said: "I just used the criticism [early on at Chelsea] as fuel. I was thinking ‘these people are going to be embarrassed’.

"And now I’m sitting here with a Europa League title and a Champions League title. So to all the critics, I just want to say one thing. 

"Thank you. Really, thank you all."

Jorginho truly is one of the game’s greatest midfielders — and the longer that it remains up for debate, the better he will likely get.