FLOWING locks, sensational body and a love for a cold beer . . . I think I’ve developed a new crush, in an unlikely spot.
The surprise entry at the top of my list of affections is Jack Grealish, the superstar midfielder who was shirtless and clutching a cold pint as he led Manchester City’s victory parade this week.
Successful, carefree, the life and soul of the party — and a clearly decent bloke to boot.
I want to be his mate, I want his looks and I want to be just like him.
And it’s not just me who’s been won over by headband-wearing Jack in recent days.
He’s now safely entered “girls want to sleep with him, men want to go for a pint with him” territory, placing him in an exclusive clique at the very top of the showbiz stratosphere alongside A-list actors Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt and Tom Hardy.
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Jack’s big appeal is he seems just like a normal 27-year-old lad who’s living the dream, playing football at elite level and enjoying every minute.
He has no airs or graces, he’s no media-trained robot and he is not afraid to tell it how it is.
Indeed, he’s still exactly the same lad — except with bigger calves — who grew up in Bromsgrove, Worcs, dreaming of becoming a footballer.
His legs have become such an object of desire they even have their own Instagram profile, with tens of thousands of devoted followers.
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And he’s a family man too. He remains close to his parents, cares deeply for his disabled sister Hollie, 19, who has cerebral palsy, and racks up the charity work, having recently been named a principal ambassador for Special Olympics GB.
On paper, he’s the perfect man, a hit with the ladies — including a fling with pin-up Inbetweeners actress Emily Atack in 2021 — and has model girlfriend Sasha Attwood, 27, cheering from the sidelines when he plays.
Jack’s partying after Manchester City clinched the Treble will go down as the stuff of legend — and certainly provided more entertainment than his side’s scruffy 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday night.
He started the celebrations on the pitch as his team-mates lifted the trophy.
Then he was snapped inside the dressing room downing booze and leading a rendition of Manchester anthem Don’t Look Back In Anger, by Oasis.
He remained in his team kit hours after the final whistle, while his team-mates changed into partying threads, and was still in his jersey when filmed singing fan chant “Have you ever won the Treble?” at 6am on Sunday morning.
After finally making it back to his team hotel he was pictured again popping his head out of a skylight of the team coach as the Treble winners headed for the airport to catch a flight back to Manchester, where he was then pictured lying down cradling the Champions League trophy next to team-mate Bernardo Silva.
His airport pint was still cold as Jack and some of his team-mates jetted off on another European adventure, this time to Ibiza for a nine-hour bender, landing on the White Isle at 11.59pm on Sunday.
After finally removing his team jersey, Jack was snapped in a Hawaiian shirt as he headed to megaclub Pacha until sunrise.
Hours later he was pictured being held up by team-mate Kyle Walker as they left their hotel, and was offered the loan of a wheelchair at the airport ahead of their return to Manchester for City’s open-top bus party.
Even the downpours back on home turf didn’t rain on Jack’s parade as his boozing continued and team-mates poured champagne over his head.
Drenched, he removed his soaked shirt, setting up for the now iconic picture of him topless and stretching his arms out, which could have been mistaken for a Calvin Klein advert.
Knuckled down
No matter that he was scheduled to meet up with the England squad last night for the next round of international clashes.
Surely even England manager Gareth Southgate, football’s straight-laced head boy, will forgive him.
Jack says these past few days have been the best of his life, and he’s had the class to thank his club manager, Pep Guardiola, who turned him into a world-class performer.
Following his British-record move from Aston Villa in the summer of 2021, Jack struggled to hold down a starting berth with Man City, initially sparking talk he’d become a £100million flop.
Yet despite his love of partying, he’s knuckled down and learned Pep’s ethos — and was rewarded with an extended run in the team this season. And he hasn’t looked back, becoming a pivotal player in this all-conquering City side.
Speaking after securing the Treble on Saturday night, Jack said of Pep: “He’s a genius, isn’t he? I just went and said to him, ‘You’ve made this happen for me’. He put so much faith in me, buying me for a lot of money.
“Even last year, when I was playing cr*p, he stuck with me and spoke to me. And now he’s given me this platform to perform and I just said thank you to him.”
Holding back tears, he also thanked his family, adding: “This is just what you work for your whole life. I am so happy, man.
“I was awful today. I don’t care. To win the Treble with this group of players is so special.
“Anyone who knows me knows how much of a family person I am and how much I love football, and this is my whole life.
“You think of all the people who have helped you along the way and I saw my family in the crowd, and it just made me emotional.”
English football has provided many mavericks in recent years, including Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Paul Gascoigne.
The latter is the player Jack is most commonly compared to, as he is also a good dribbler who takes players on in dangerous areas.
Gazza won the hearts of the nation following his exploits at Italia ’90.
But unlike Jack, he had a troubled side and well-publicised controversies — including being accused of attacking then-wife Sheryl — leading to a loss of big endorsement deals and withdrawal of support from the public
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But if Jack continues to keep on the straight and narrow, and playing with a smile on his face, his popularity will certainly outlast the other booze-loving England star — and he’ll become his generation’s talented talisman.
And if he ever fancies a post-match pint, I’m buying.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
