When Jack Grealish was given the prestigious Number 10 shirt by Pep Guardiola, despite the news that Lionel Messi or Harry Kane were both potential candidates to take up the mantle, it sent shockwaves around the footballing world.
It had been a summer of ecstasy for England fans, as Grealish’s performances off the bench in Euro 2020 saw Guardiola strike with a British transfer record fee of £100m.
Rumours correlated regarding Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo potentially joining City too; however, they were soon quashed when instead of going to Manchester, Messi instead moved to PSG on a free transfer.
Grealish’s capture was seen as an incredible coup for Guardiola who knew just how good he could be on his day from his time managing him against Villa whilst at rival club Man City.
This article was updated 10 months ago