Almost a year has passed since Jack Grealish stood in the pouring rain at the front of the Manchester City bus, arms out, top down, soaking up the praise from the supporters who came to support their Treble-winning heroes.
The highlight of the event was Grealish, who took the mickey alongside his teammates to confess that, between taking on Europe in Istanbul and getting soaked in front of tens of thousands of people in Manchester, he had not slept for a full day.
As the party got going, it was funny to watch Kalvin Phillips pour drink directly into his mouth, Gazza-style.
Grealish had earned this frippery.
With City gaining ground on a legendary Treble, the 28-year-old emerged as the most costly.
He had played every minute of City’s rout of Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final, 89 of 90 minutes in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester United, and finally the entire match as City defeated Inter Milan to win the Champions League for the first time. He had started the pivotal Premier League match against Arsenal on April 28.
At the peak of his abilities, Grealish validated City’s investment in him and the reason Manchester United’s coaches desired the England.
