'I cried down the phone to my mum, but she wouldn't let me quit': Jorginho lived with monks in Verona and almost gave up on football, but he was told to stay. Now he's thriving at Chelsea

Jorginho is almost three years into his Chelsea career and politely contests the idea that this time is best defined by its ups and downs.

‘Ups and downs?’ he checks, detecting a slight about consistency levels, then smiles and peers into the Zoom call. ‘You need to look at the numbers and the numbers are not like that.

‘I received a lot of criticism and I can accept that. Everybody has an opinion and I don’t always agree but I can respect it.

‘It motivates me to work harder and do better and keep proving they are wrong.