Ferdinand says this Chelsea midfielder doesn’t deserve Ballon d’Or recognition

Former Manchester Utd star Rio Ferdinand has sparked reactions after he stated that Chelsea midfielder and Italy international Jorginho doesn’t deserve a Ballon d’Or recognition.

This comes as Jorginho was named among the list of players to compete for the prestigious award this year alongside Argentine star Lionel Messi and Polish striker Robert Lewandowski.

Ferdinand, in his statement, claimed that the Blues midfielder is not the best at Stamford Bridge or in the Italian national team.

He added that Jorginho is not on the same level with the players who are favourites to win the Ballon d’Or this year.

“The Jorginho one baffles me,” Rio Ferdinand said on BT Sport. “He’s not the best player at Chelsea and he’s not the first name on the team-sheet with Italy either.”

“He’s a very good player don’t get me wrong and I’m not trying to be disrespectful at all, but I don’t see how he gets on the list with those players – with the levels that these guys have been playing at.”

The winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or will be named in November.