Jorginho

Jorginho's move to Flamengo in 2025 was billed in the press as a "game-changer" for the Brazilian club, and he wasted little time proving the point. In the Club World Cup final against Bayern Munich, he stepped up to convert a 55th-minute penalty for Flamengo's second goal — the decisive contribution in a match that swung the tie their way. It capped a return to the country of his birth after nearly two decades in European football, and gave Flamengo their Copa Libertadores triumph the same year.

Born in Imbituba, Jorginho left Brazil as a teenager, developing through Hellas Verona's academy before a loan spell at Sambonifacese. He earned his move to Napoli in 2014 for €9.5m, where he spent four seasons refining the deep-lying playmaking role that would define his career, winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana along the way. Chelsea paid £50m for him in 2018, and it was in London that he became one of the Premier League's most reliable passers: in a single match against West Ham in September 2018 he attempted 180 passes, a record for a top-flight fixture at the time, and he still holds Chelsea's record for most completed passes in a Premier League game, set against Newcastle United.

His trophy haul at Chelsea was substantial — the Europa League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup all followed — and in 2021 he was named UEFA's Men's Player of the Year. With Italy, he was part of the side that won Euro 2020, adding a Nations League bronze and a Finalissima runners-up medal. Arsenal signed him for £12m in 2023, though his two years in north London brought fewer minutes and no goals before he left as a free agent for Flamengo in 2025.