“He’s the best in the world next to Ronaldo and Messi”

Jack Grealish has joined Manchester City for a new record sum. He is particularly looking forward to the interaction with Kevin De Bruyne.

“I’ve talked about him a few times. And I’ve always said that I think he’s the best in the world alongside Ronaldo and Messi,” Grealish said in an interview with City’s club website.

The 25-year-old Englishman, who made the move for the Premier League record sum of 117.5 million euros, said: “I think he has absolutely everything. I think he doesn’t get enough appreciation for how fast he is is.”

Jack Grealish was watching videos of De Bruyne

Grealish was also particularly impressed by De Bruyne’s ability to make the final pass. After the 2019/20 season, in which he had six assists for Aston Villa, he sat down with his coach: “I watched clips from De Bruyne. I said that’s what I want to do too. I want my final pass to be exactly like that. I then worked on that. And lo and behold: I got ten assists in 25 or 26 appearances last season, which is a good number. The basis for that was De Bruyne’s style of play and the Way he keeps finding that perfect final pass. “

He is therefore particularly looking forward to the interaction with the Belgian, explained Grealish. “I’ve never played with him before, only against him a few times. I also got his jersey.”

With his move from Villa to Manchester City, Grealish became the most expensive purchase in Premier League history and replaced Paul Pogba, for whom Manchester United had paid around 105 million euros in the summer of 2016. Grealish will wear the number 10 shirt at City and has signed a six-year contract until 2027.