Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel reacts to his players’ Ballon d’Or snub

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel says his players do what they do because they love football and not just to win the Ballon d’Or.

Midfielder Jorginho came third while N’Golo Kante finished fifth in the annual competition.

Paris Saint Germain’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi was crowned winner for the seventh time, a record in the history of the awards.

Jorginho went into the ceremony as one of the favourites to win the big prize, after playing a crucial role in helping Chelsea win the Champions League and Super Cup.

He was also at the wheel as Italy swept aside every country to win the Euros, beating England at Wembley to clinch the trophy.

But that was not quite enough to get him across the line, as Messi won the award again ahead of the Chelsea midfielder and Polish hitman Robert Lewandowski.

Despite the disappointment of the night, Tuchel said Jorginho is losing no sleep over the award, and is already looking forward to playing against Watford.

He said: “For me, personally, not so much because I have huge doubts about individual awards in this game.

“It’s a team effort, not one single player can win a match of football. It’s not possible.

“What my players do they don’t do because they want to win an individual award, they do it because they love this game.

“I have to say that we were disappointed that Lewandowski didn’t win it last year, but it’s a voting thing and we accept and we move on.”

Tuchel said Jorginho would not have been “out of place” if he had won it, with all the silverware he collected earlier in the year.

“I will use my right not to comment on if I was disappointed or not because we had a player who lifted everything and it would not have been out of place if he had won it but that is it and we move,” he said.

The Ballon d’Or - awarded to the best footballer of the year - is voted on by 180 journalists worldwide and presented by France Football.

Some professional footballers felt the award should not have gone to Messi.

Former Spain and Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas tweeted: “It’s not hard to select the right winner but it’s others who make it difficult.”

While German international Toni Kroos said Messi did not deserve the award and would have preferred Benzema.

“Why didn’t Benzema win the Ballon d’Or? What fails, above all, is the selection of first choice,” he said on his podcast.

“There is no doubt that together with Cristiano, he has been the best player of the last decade, but this year it should be another forward.”

It wasn’t all down for Messi though, as Match of the Day host, Gary Lineker, congratulated him and described him as a gift to the sport.