"My first-ever hero. If you know then you know" - Jack Grealish names surprise footballer as his first-ever idol
Manchester City star Jack Grealish has named former Aston Villa forward Juan Pablo Angel as his first idol in football.
Grealish joined Aston Villa's set-up in 2002 and rose through the ranks to become a first-team regular. He 32 goals and 43 assists in 213 senior appearances across competitions for the Villans before sealing a £100 million transfer to Manchester City in the summer of 2021.
Despite his switch to the Etihad, Grealish is seemingly still close to his former club. He shared a string of photos in a post on Instagram, captioning it "Outside the pitch 🤓".
The Birmingham-born playmaker shared one of those photos, where he is pictured with Angel, on his Instagram story with the caption:
"My first ever hero. If you know then you know. There’s only one Juan Pablo Angel."
The image can be seen in the tweet by @futboladverso below:
Angel arrived at Aston Villa from River Plate in January 2001 for €14 million. He spent six years at the club until leaving for New York Red Bulls on a free transfer, scoring 62 goals in 205 games for the Villans.
The Colombian made 31 appearances for his national team, netting nine goals. He last played for Atletico Nacional in Colombia before hanging up his boots in December 2014 and currently works as an advisor of management at Los Angeles FC.
Chris Sutton believes Manchester City star has overtaken Jack Grealish in starting XI
Former Premier League forward Chris Sutton believes Manchester City's €60 million summer signing Jeremy Doku is ahead of Jack Grealish in the pecking order.
The 21-year-old Belgian forward has started five of his team's last six Premier League games, including the 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on 21 October. He played 75 minutes against the Seagulls, providing an assist in the process.
Referring to the former Rennes winger's performance against Brighton, Sutton said on Mail Sport's It's All Kicking off podcast (h/t Daily Mail):
"Where I think [Grealish] was first choice last season, I think Doku has overtaken him... I do think at the weekend Doku was getting the ball more and direct running. He destroyed James Milner in the first half. But when Grealish came on he was a bit safe. He must be a little bit worried, Jack."
Grealish has played 518 minutes spread across nine games across competitions this term, providing an assist. He played a major role in Manchester City's treble win last season, registering five goals and 11 assists in 50 matches.