Few footballers can claim to have as much impact on popular as Jack Grealish does in England. From his pristine hair to his substantial calves, exposed by his rolled down socks, Grealish cuts an unique figure on the pitch.
After making the £100m move from Aston Villa north to Manchester in the summer, Grealish has failed to win a starting spot in the Manchester City line-up so far. Although he has made 32 appearances so far this season but is averaging less than 70 minutes per appearance. Nevertheless, he isn’t the only star to undergo a period of adaptation under Pep Guardiola.
Speaking to UEFA ahead of their second leg against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, Grealish was asked if could explain why it is that he wears his socks differently to others.
“That was just something that I’ve done since I was a kid. I think I was about 14 or 15 at Villa, and the socks used to shrink in the wash; in training, I couldn’t get [them] over my calves because the socks were so small. I started wearing them underneath my calves in training and that season I ended up playing really well. It was just something that stuck because I’d had such a good season.”
He also explained that his calves were not something that he deliberately works on.
“Do I do anything to maintain my calves? I actually don’t. It’s just something that runs in the family; my grandad always had big calves when he used to play football. Honestly, it’s just something that I’ve had since I was young.”
Grealish played a cameo role in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, coming on for the final 22 minutes at the Eithad, although his main involvement was scuffle with Sime Vrsaljko.