Jack Grealish

Jack Peter Grealish (born 10 September 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder for Premier League club Everton, on loan from Manchester City, and the England national team.

Grealish joined Aston Villa at the age of six, and made his debut for the club in May 2014, following a loan at Notts County, becoming club captain in 2019. In 2021, Grealish was signed by Manchester City in a transfer deal worth £100 million, making him at the time, the most expensive British player ever. In his first season with the club, he won a Premier League title, before securing a continental treble in his second campaign.

Born in England and having Irish ancestry, Grealish was eligible to represent either England or the Republic of Ireland internationally. He was capped by the Republic of Ireland up to under-21 level before confirming his decision to play for England in April 2016. Grealish played for the England under-21s for the first time in May 2016, winning the 2016 Toulon Tournament. He represented the senior side at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Early life

Jack Peter Grealish was born on 10 September 1995 in Birmingham, West Midlands, and raised in nearby Solihull. He attended Our Lady of Compassion Roman Catholic Primary School and St Peter's Roman Catholic Secondary School in Blossomfield, Solihull.

Grealish is of Irish descent, through his maternal grandfather from County Dublin, his paternal grandfather from Gort, County Galway, and his paternal grandmother from Sneem, County Kerry. Influenced by his Irish heritage, Grealish played Gaelic football for John Mitchel's Hurling and Camogie Club of Warwickshire GAA between the ages of 10 and 14. He competed against former Aston Villa and current Newcastle United defender Aoife Mannion, a school classmate of his, at Gaelic football.

Grealish's younger brother, Keelan, died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in April 2000 at the age of nine months.

Club career

Aston Villa

Early career

Having started at Highgate United, Aston Villa fan Grealish joined the club as a six-year-old. At the age of 16, he was named as an unused substitute in a 4–2 home Premier League defeat against Chelsea on 31 March 2012. Grealish was part of the club's under-19 team that won the 2012–13 NextGen Series.

2013–2014: Loan to Notts County

On 13 September 2013, Grealish joined League One club Notts County on a youth loan until 13 January 2014. The 18-year-old made his professional debut the following day, coming on as a 59th-minute substitute for David Bell in a 3–1 away defeat to Milton Keynes Dons. On 7 December, he scored his first career goal, beating three defenders to score the last goal in a 3–1 win over Gillingham at Meadow Lane, and followed this a week later by opening a 4–0 victory at Colchester United. Grealish extended his loan with Notts County on 17 January 2014 until the end of the season. He ended his loan with five goals and seven assists in 38 appearances.

2014–2016: Development and maturation

Following his loan with Notts County, Grealish returned to Aston Villa and made his club debut on 7 May 2014, coming on as an 88th-minute substitute for Ryan Bertrand in a 4–0 away defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League. Grealish made his first start in a Football League Cup third round tie on 27 August against Leyton Orient at Villa Park, which his team lost 1–0. He played the full 90 minutes. With his contract due to expire in the summer of 2015, he was offered a new four-year deal by the club in September 2014. On 14 October, Grealish signed a new four-year contract with Aston Villa.

On 7 March 2015, in the sixth round of the FA Cup, a 2–0 home win over West Bromwich Albion, Grealish replaced Charles N'Zogbia after 74 minutes, and was sent off for a second booking for diving in added time. On 7 April, Grealish started his first match for Aston Villa in the Premier League, a 3–3 home draw against Queens Park Rangers in which his performance was highly praised. On 18 April, in the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium, Grealish played a part in both of Villa's goals including assisting Fabian Delph's winner, as they came from behind to advance to the final. On 30 May, Grealish played for the entirety of the 2015 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, as Villa lost 4–0 to Arsenal.

In April 2015, Grealish was warned by Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood after The Sun published images showing him allegedly inhaling nitrous oxide for recreational purposes. Sherwood said that "We can't condone that behaviour. He is now in a responsible position as a professional footballer, he's got to make sure it won't happen again". Sherwood later said in May 2015 that Grealish was learning from his friendship with his midfield partner, the experienced Joe Cole. Sherwood considered Cole a role model for Grealish when concealing his private life, as he "didn't read too much about Joe being on the front pages".

Grealish scored his first goal for Villa on 13 September 2015, a 20-yard shot to open the scoring away to Leicester City; however, his team lost 3–2. In November, he chose to stay in North West England and go clubbing after Villa's 4–0 loss to Everton. New manager Rémi Garde punished him for this decision by making Grealish train with the under-21 team, and stated that "You have to behave as a professional and it was not the case this time for Jack". He returned to full training on 8 December. On 7 January 2016, Leeds United head coach Steve Evans said that Villa had rejected an enquiry to take Grealish on loan.

Villa finished the season in last place, ending their status as Premier League ever-presents. Grealish played 16 matches, all defeats, breaking a record for worst season previously held by Sunderland's Sean Thornton, who lost in all 11 of his appearances in 2002–03.

2016–2019: Injury and regained form

In September, Villa opened an internal disciplinary investigation after reports that Grealish was at a party at a Birmingham hotel which had to be shut down by the police in the early morning. In response, owner Tony Xia wrote on Twitter that Grealish had to focus on and off the pitch, and associate with the right people. In October, he was suspended for three matches after accepting a charge of violent conduct following a stamp on Conor Coady in Villa's 1–1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On 29 July 2017, during a pre-season friendly against Watford, while challenging for a ball in the air near the Watford box, the 21-year-old collided with Watford midfielder Tom Cleverley. The collision caused him to be rushed to the Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham where he went through surgery. It was later revealed that he had been elbowed by Cleverley, causing a ruptured kidney, and leaving him sidelined for three months as he recovered before making his return as a second-half substitute for Glenn Whelan in a 2–1 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on 4 November. In an interview with the Daily Mirror in May 2018, he revealed that the injury had been life-threatening.

In the summer of 2018, following Villa's loss in the play-off final to Fulham which saw them miss out on promotion to the Premier League and with his contract due to expire in September, Grealish was linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur but it failed and he remained at the club.

On 24 September, Grealish signed a new five-year contract with Villa until 2023.

After former captain John Terry departed the club and club captain James Chester and vice-captain Alan Hutton suffered injuries, Grealish was given the captaincy in March 2019 which he retained for the remainder of the season. On 22 April 2019, the team amassed a club record 10 consecutive league wins following a 1–0 home victory over Millwall, in the second of which Grealish was punched from behind by a pitch invader during the Second City derby match away to Birmingham City. Later in the second half, Grealish scored to give Villa a 1–0 victory. Paul Mitchell, 27, from Rubery, was sent to prison for 14 weeks for pitch encroachment and assault. This form granted Villa a place in the play-offs where victories over West Bromwich Albion over two semi-final legs via a penalty shootout and Derby County in the final gained them promotion to the Premier League after an absence of three years.

2019–2021: Club captaincy, talisman and individual success

Following Aston Villa's return to the Premier League, with Chester still injured and the departure of Hutton, Grealish was announced as the new club captain.

Grealish's first goal of the 2019–20 season came in the second round of the 2019–20 EFL Cup against Crewe Alexandra on 27 August 2019. His first Premier League goal of Aston Villa's return season came on 5 October, netting his side's third goal in a 5–1 away win over Norwich City. The result lifted the club out of the bottom three and leapfrogged their opponents in the Premier League table.