Chelsea midfielder Jorginho confirmed that in 2016, before he declared for the Italian national side, he was approached by Brazil to represent his country of birth.
"They tried to convince me, but in the end I chose Italy, otherwise I would have been ungrateful," Jorginho explained, speaking to Brazilian media outlet GloboEsporte.
It was in Italy, with Hellas Verona and Napoli, where Jorginho established himself as a footballer of high level.
He's unlikely to regret his decision, especially after lifting the Euro 2020 trophy last summer.
"It would not be bad to win the World Cup," he continued when asked about ambitions for the foreseeable future.
"The Champions League and the Euros can’t be underestimated, but the World Cup goes beyond anything else. We won’t be the favourite in Qatar, but we can’t even go unnoticed as we won the Euros."
Italy's place at the World Cup is hanging in the balance, however. With two games to go, Italy are level on points with Switzerland - and these sides will face each other on Friday in a crucial game.
