The English player Jack Grealish is becoming a superstar; his move to Manchester City was worth 100 million euros, making him the most expensive English player in history. But he has not proved his value, and this has led him to be heavily criticised.
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In the knockout of the Cityzens in the Champions League, Grealish came on as a substitute and had a chance that could have meant a place in the final. But he missed it, and was not decisive in the match; this raised the question: is he overrated?
The new Spice Boy
David Beckham was nicknamed the Spice Boy because of his relationship with Spice Girls member Victoria. The midfielder made headlines for his charisma and ease of entry into the entertainment world.
But on the pitch, he always showed that he was a great player; he even provided the two assists in that fateful Champions League final at the Camp Nou against Bayern Munich; he was key in Ferguson’s system, captain of the England team, where he had several interesting episodes.
In 98, he was sent off and blamed for the elimination of the Three Lions. But for the next World Cup, a spectacular goal got England into the World Cup directly; and for that Championship, he wore the captain’s armband; so behind all the glamour, there was a player and a leader.
Jack Grealish began to shine at Aston Villa; he showed that he had a lot of quality in his feet; in fact, he began to be called the most Brazilian Briton because of the way he dribbled and tackled opponents.
His coaches have said that he is undoubtedly one of the most talented players they have ever seen; his ability with his feet compensates for his lack of speed because he does not need to run so much to make a spectacular play or to get rid of several opponents.
At Aston Villa, he started to earn a place in the starting line-up; because of his talent, he was relegated to the second division. But helped to get promotion and even reached an FA Cup final, which, although they lost to Arsenal, was perfect for several teams to watch him. Grealish was catching the eye of the big boys.
In his last season with the Villains, his level was very high; he was the player who was fouled the most in the Premiership that season with 167; he was untreatable, and it was impossible to stop him, and his play led to him being called up to the English national team.
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Is he worth the 100 million he cost?
That summer Guardiola asked the board of directors to cough up 100 million euros to take him, a lot of pressure for a player who, yes, is very good, but had not really won anything important.
To add to the pressure, they gave him the number 10 shirt, which had been vacated for a few months by the club’s top scorer and fan idol, Sergio Agüero. The young player was being given too much baggage to carry.
Obviously, it was thought that he would be an undisputed starter and fly down the left flank as we had become accustomed to seeing him do, but Pep kept him on the bench and used him as a false 9. What’s more, in the most important games of the season, he has seen a few minutes.
There is talk of a natural process of adaptation, and Guardiola has plans for him, such as using him in an area of the pitch that is perhaps much better for him, such as midfield. He already did this with Messi, when he moved him from the right-wing to the centre and that was the best version of the Argentinian.
Without playing and without really showing much, the Englishman signed a multi-million dollar contract with Gucci and became the first player in the world with an exclusive contract with a luxury brand.
Obviously, the contract is for the charisma he has because on the pitch he is being harshly criticized, and even pointed out as one of the culprits of the debacle of the Sky Blues in the Champions League, a tournament that has them obsessed.
With the England national team, he has also shone, but he is not an undisputed starter, which is why it is being debated whether he is really such a valuable player.
What is a fact is that he has a lot of talent, and Guardiola is taking care of him; he doesn’t want to expose him and is taking him slowly so that when he adapts completely to the new position, he can explode and show that he is worth all the money he costs.
Grealish seems very calm; maybe he knows that his time will come and the World Cup in Qatar is a good place to prove it. Is he worth all that money?
