Italy won their first international tournament since 2006 with a penalty shoot-out victory over England at Wembley. It crowned a fantastic couple of months for Jorginho, who was instrumental in both Chelsea’s Champions League triumph and his adopted country’s continental pan-European success.

It all meant when he reported back to Cobham in early August, it was he who had the bragging rights over his club team-mates Mason Mount, Reece James and Ben Chilwell.

‘I've enjoyed it loads, they didn't enjoy it much!’ laughed Jorginho when asked about it this week.

‘I have to say they welcomed me back, but thank goodness we won... I enjoyed that little period.’

Football leaves little time for reflection, however, especially in what promises to be another action-packed season for the Chelsea no.5.

In the immediate future, Jorginho and Italy have a trio of World Cup qualifiers to look forward to, starting with Bulgaria’s visit to Florence this evening. The Azzurri are an on a remarkable 34-game unbeaten run, and Jorginho reflected on their progress in recent times, as well as the extra challenges that await.

‘Now it gets difficult, as Italy are no longer a surprise team,’ Jorginho said.

‘We've returned to where we belong, and everyone who comes to play against us will come with a different attitude, so we're happy with what we've achieved but we need to stay humble because the moment you let your guard down bad things start to happen.

‘The manager has changed the way that national team plays, I don't think the message has just been sent to other countries but also to the Italian people, who I think enjoyed themselves watching us.

‘There are lots of team with extremely good players, but the difference with us is the unity. The group we have is what made the difference and will continue to do so.’