England Star Jack Grealish Reveals He Cried Like Messi After Exit at Boyhood Club
- England international Jack Grealish has likened his emotions to Lionel Messi's when he left Aston Villa for Manchester City.
- The 25-year-old became the most expensive player in English history when he signed a £100 million deal with the Etihad outfit
- The ex-Villa captain made his debut in the Community Shield loss to Leicester City and would likely feature against Tottenham at the weekend
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Jack Grealish has revealed that he broke down in tears when he left Aston Villa to join Manchester City, much in the same way as Lionel Messi, who cut an emotional figure upon his departure from Barcelona.
The England international completed a record-breaking £100 million move to the Etihad, making him the biggest transfer in English football history, according to Sky Sports.
Source: UGC
Days after Grealish left Villa Park, Messi also departed from his boyhood club after 21 glorious years with La Blaugrana. Grealish said:
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"It was so tough. I think everyone knows that.
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"I reported back for the pre-season as I was meant to. That's when the manager wanted me back so I obviously went back for a few days. It was obviously difficult because in the back of my head, I knew that I might be going.
"Everyone's seen the way Messi was at his final press conference and that is the exact way I felt myself.
"Before I left, at the hotel, I spoke to the team, the staff and the players and I teared up a little bit myself."
Grealish states strong case in debut for City
The 25-year-old made his debut for City during their Community Shield loss to Leicester City at Wembley Stadium.
The former Villa captain played the last 25 minutes in the loss to the Foxes and gave a glimpse of what fans should expect in the new season.
Grealish is in line to make his Premier League debut for the Citizens when they face Tottenham in north London.
Messi endures tearful final moments at Barcelona in emotional farewell
Briefly News reported earlier that Lionel Messi said his last few moments spent at Camp Nou were heartbreaking as it was difficult to leave Barcelona, according to SPORTbible.
The Argentine broke down in tears expressing he never knew things would turn out the way it was after spending 21 years with La Blaugrana.
The 34-year-old said he was convinced he would extend his contract with the club but the financial situation prompted his shock exit.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Tshepiso Mametela (Head of Current Affairs Desk) Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience writing for online and print publications. He is the current affairs Head of Desk at Briefly News. He was a news reporter for The Herald, a senior sports contributor at Opera News SA, and a reporter for Caxton Local Media’s Bedfordview and Edenvale News and Joburg East Express community titles. He has attended media workshops, including the crime and court reporting one by the Wits Justice Project and Wits Centre for Journalism in 2024. Email: tshepiso.mametela@briefly.co.za
