Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has insisted he does not want to end the season as the club’s top scorer, despite leading the way again this campaign.
In typically cool fashion, he scored a brace from the penalty spot in the 3-1 victory against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, taking him to nine goals in all competitions.
Mason Mount and Romelu Lukaku trail him in the Blues’ overall standings, and Jorginho hopes that his more offensive-minded team-mates will overtake him.
Last season, he topped the scoring charts at Chelsea in the Premier League.
The Italy international is keen to avoid a surprise repeat, telling his club’s official website: ‘It’s just happened like that!
‘I hope our strikers can score, score, score and be the top scorers and not me, to be honest.’
Jorginho has been able to find the net regularly this term due to his clinical nature for spot-kicks, and he has also opened up on how he copes with the pressure.
‘People watching are probably more nervous than me when I take a penalty, especially my friends and family,’ he added.
‘Sometimes you know the pressure is higher than other times, but I try to not put that pressure on myself or feel that pressure.
‘I try to breathe, clear my mind and keep calm.’
Indeed, over the course of 2021, the 30-year-old has converted 10 penalties in the top-flight, a record in the competition.
His success has stretched to both on and off the pitch, too, with Jorginho having dazzled in Chelsea’s Champions League win and Italy’s triumph at Euro 2020.
As a result, he finished third in the Ballon d’Or rankings – and believes his personal accolade underlines the importance of midfielders.
‘I’m very proud, but if I got there it was because I wasn’t alone,’ he said.
‘I got there because of the work of everyone around me.
‘It’s nice to see a midfielder up there. It means everyone is seeing what we can do, what we can offer and add to the team.’
He went on to add: ‘Until now it definitely was my best year.
‘Winning those trophies doesn’t happen every year! Hopefully, maybe, I can have something similar, or maybe even better, why not!’