So much class and so much talent yet people remain divided in opinions about him.
Jack Grealish is one of the most exciting creative players in Europe right now.
The 25-year-old draws all the attention of opposition defenders whenever he steps on
the pitch. He gets fans on their feet whether watching at home or in the stands.
2020-2021 were certainly the most eventful years of his career. The talented playmaker
has won the heart of every football fan with his amazing performances since the start of
the 2019/20 season. He capped that off with a fan favourite status for Euro 2020 finalists
England. In fact, many still claim he should have gotten more game time with the three
Lions. A certain section of fans insisted Southgate had an ‘agenda’ against him.
A big move to City is being mooted for the boyhood Villa fan but it remains to be seen
if that will materialize. With all eyes on Grealish as we approach the final weeks of
the transfer window, Goal 90 reckons it’s a good time to look at 10 things you probably
didn’t know about the Villa captain. ‘Before we get into the thick of it, make
sure to hit the subscribe button alongside the bell icon right next to it. If that’s
all sorted, let’s get down to the fun stuff.’ Villain through and through
Grealish didn’t just come through the ranks to captain The Claret and Blues but he is
also a die-hard fan of Aston Villa. Growing up in a Villa-mad family in the West Midlands,
little Jack has been a season ticket-holder since he was four years old and idolized Villa
legend Paul Merson. Needless to say, captaining the club in the Premier League is a dream
come true for the 25-year-old who has himself become a modern-day hero.
No doubt in the next few years Grealish would be regarded as a club legend having suffered
relegation and subsequent promotion back to the Premier League.
English but not fully ‘English’ Jack Grealish is of Irish descent through
his maternal grandfather and paternal grandparents. Influenced by his Irish heritage, the youngster
played Gaelic football between the ages of 10 and 14 and even won the Irish U17 Player
of The Year. As his football career developed, Grealish
rejected several advances to represent England and was capped by the Republic of Ireland
up to under-21 level before confirming his decision to play for his birthplace in April
2016. Okay, let’s move along to number three. A proper family man
Grealish is a family person who understands and cherishes the bond created by his support
system. Having only moved out of his family house aged 23, the star loved being at home
with his two brothers, two sisters and parents. A proper family person, Grealish confessed
it was tough to move out, especially as someone who couldn’t cook, he still needed his mum
to come round a few times a week to help around the house.
Should he start a young family of his own before the end of his career, Jack the man
and father could further improve Grealish the player. Of course, family makes us all
better. Overcoming bad omens
As Villa were relegated as the bottom side in the 2015/16 season, Grealish played 20
successive Premier League matches across 1567 days, all defeats, to break the league record
for worst losing streak previously held by Sunderland's Sean Thornton, who lost in all
11 of his appearances in 2002–03. Grealish finally broke his ignominious streak
in a 2-0 victory against Everton in August 2019, and it is hard to see a much-improved
Villa side that have built a stable Premier League team around their captain, return to
the trenches of much tougher days. Moving on to no 5, it gets to the difficult part.
Bizarre on-pitch moment On 10 March 2019, Grealish was assaulted by
a pitch invader during the Second City Derby at Birmingham City. Later in the second half,
the maverick scored the winning goal of Aston Villa’s 1–0 victory.
Later that day, a 27-year-old man was arrested in relation to the shocking attack and appeared
in Court to be charged with encroachment on to the pitch and assault. He was sent to jail
for 14 weeks. Villa’s star man has locked up defenders
and even rival fans due to his wonderful ability on the pitch. What a player. Hero on the
pitch and off it as well! Controversy not far from him
A young Jack Grealish was once seen in a photo inhaling laughing gas, which saw him receive
a warning from his former manager, Tim Sherwood. At the time, Sherwood said that "We can't
condone that behavior. He is now in a responsible position as a professional footballer. He's
got to make sure it won't happen again, he's assured me it won't”. It gets even worse
at number seven. More on his forgettable off-pitch behavior...
The Aston Villa number 10 is reportedly banned from driving for 9 months in the UK and has
been fined more than £80,000 after reportedly pleading guilty to careless driving in 2020,
one in which he was filmed colliding with several parked cars during a turn in the road.
Now let’s get to the funky stuff. Superstitious and eccentric player
On the pitch, Grealish notably wears child-sized shin pads which he says helps to control the
ball effectively. But he also admitted rolling down his socks due to superstition, much to
the ire of referees. With well-sculpted calves and a charming style
of play, we think Jack barely needs an incentive to do what he does.
However, Grealish has revealed he would have quite the same flamboyant character if he
weren’t a famous footballer. Admitting he would much rather enjoy being out and about
as a normal person. He said: “At the end of the day, I'm just
a normal kid and as I've grown up out of it, that's probably one of the hardest things.
I speak to my family about it all the time and stuff, because when I go out and do stuff,
I look at what my friends are doing. I'd love to be like that sometimes and just go and
do stuff. If I hadn't been a footballer, I couldn't be a plasterer (like his father),
probably a Club promoter in Tenerife, or Ibiza. I would be getting everyone into the club."
What about THAT famous hair style... Grealish said it wasn’t meant to be anything
special, but soon became a trademark as fans grew accustomed to his undercut slick back
hairdo. “It started when I was about seventeen,
I don’t know what made me do it to be honest. I needed a change up from what I had before
and ever since, I’ve kept it this way and I think it’s become a bit of a trademark
around Birmingham, especially with the Villa fans”.
Having starred at Euro 2020, the rise of Jack Grealish has never been more emphatic and
a big-money transfer from Aston Villa could truly catapult him into world class status
if he wins some trophies and improves individually. He might have been on the bench more than
he hoped, but England and the rest of Europe already recognized a wonderful player who
ambiguously earned the admiration of the whole nation. That alone is a rare feat in itself.
Where will he play his football next season? Only time will tell. Well if you have
made it to this minute of the video, please do smash that like and subscribe button if
you did enjoy our video. We hope to see you in the next video. Until Next time, goodbye
and take care.