Man City and England star Jack Grealish has shown his class off the field with a number of gestures and donations, while still delivering the goods on the pitch.
Jack Grealish took time to get to his best as a Manchester City player. Consequently, he has consistently delivered when it comes to acts of kindness away from the pitch.
The former Aston Villa star joined City in a £100m deal in 2021, a sum which stood alone as a British record until Declan Rice joined Arsenal this summer. Grealish admitted to finding things tough in his first year at the Etihad Stadium, but he’s had no trouble giving back in other areas of his life.
Support for life-saving treatment
Earlier this month, it emerged that Grealish had donated £5,000 to help student Dylan Lamb. The student, 20, has set up a crowdfunder for potentially life-saving treatment in the United States after being diagnosed with Precursor T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.
“It will be life changing for him and for the rest of us [to get treatment in America],” Dylan’s girlfriend Phoebe Cole said. “The support so far has been insane, the most amazing thing to see is the amount of people who don’t know him who are donating.”
Not only did Grealish make the donation, but he shared news of the crowdfunder to his 8.5m Instagram followers. It is impossible to tell how many saw the link through his post who otherwise would not have done.
Donations
Grealish earlier made a huge £150,000 donation to a local hospital. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, meanwhile, the then-Villa star auctioned off a match-worn shirt to raise £55,000 for the NHS.
It’s not just about financial contributions, either. The 27-year-old has shown himself to be a man of his word, with his actions at the 2022 World Cup a prime example.
All For Finlay
The wideman scored just his second senior England goal at the tournament, netting in the 6-2 victory over Panama. He followed it up with a unique celebration, and later explained his reasons for it.
The celebration was in honour of Finlay, a young football fan with cerebral palsy. Finlay wrote to Grealish and the pair met, with the City star promising to do a celebration of the youngster’s choosing.
“I met young Finlay before about a month or ago,” Grealish explained. “Got on, obviously, and really well with him. Him obviously, having cerebral palsy like my little sister as well so he asked me to do a celebration for him and luckily for him it came at the World Cup.
“That’s what it’s all about. For me it’s just doing a celebration, that will mean the world to him I’m sure. Especially me doing it at the World Cup, so Finlay, that one’s for you.”
Outstanding Gifts
In June of this year, Grealish sent a shirt and a letter in braille to Ralph Mullineaux. The England star was praised by the mother of the young visually-impaired fan, who idolises Grealish.
“Thank you so much to man of the moment, Jackgrealish, who’s sent Ralph a signed shirt and a personalised letter – written in Braille!” she wrote. “Grealish is Ralph’s hero. Ralph wears his hair like Jack so he can be just like him, and he even wanted to wear his hairband when he starred in Guidedogsuk latest advert.
“Ralph sent Jack a letter in Braille telling him how much of an amazing role model he is. As Ralph has a visual impairment, he really loves how Grealish understands disability and celebrates his sister who has cerebral palsy. Ralph was beyond thrilled to get a reply from his favourite footballer and for it to be in Braille, is just so special.
“It’s so nice to see how inclusive and kind Jack and ManCity can be. I really can’t believe how much has happened this year! Ralph was accepted onto the England Para Football VI Pathway programme, he’s starred in the Guide Dogs TV advert (who have helped him so much) and then this. I’m so proud of him.”