Grealish's tough confession about his time at City: 'I didn't help myself'

Jack Grealish is trying to leave behind a chapter that did not end as he had imagined. After shining at Aston Villa and becoming the most expensive signing in English football in 2021, when Manchester City paid 100 million pounds sterling at the request of Pep Guardiola, the attacking midfielder went from being an undisputed starter, and one of the main partners of Julián Álvarez when he was still in England, to losing prominence and even leaving through the back door.

Now, already at Everton, the 29-year-old midfielder spoke with Sky Sports and was self-critical about his experience with the Citizens. "At City, sometimes I did not help myself, I say it openly, but I do not think everything was because of that," Grealish acknowledged, who won major titles such as the Champions League, the Intercontinental Cup, and the Premier League three times.

Part of that decline in consideration, according to him, was linked to his personal life. "People say: "He likes to go out, he likes to party," and I do like it. I want to be able to live my life and enjoy it, but obviously there is a time and a place for it," he pointed out, before admitting: "I probably have not chosen the right time."

Despite the criticism, Grealish left important numbers at City: 157 matches, 17 goals, 23 assists, and a total of seven titles, both domestic and international. However, his spell was marked by the feeling that he could have given more. At Everton, he will seek revenge and a new starting point to regain the confidence and consistency he lost at the Manchester team.