Jack Grealish ‘not really’ bothered by criticism of Man City treble celebrations as England star forced to explain himself

Manchester City and England star Jack Grealish has felt the need to explain himself following criticism of his wild celebrations after winning the treble last week.

The 27-year-old was at the centre of attention for many onlookers as the treble winners crowned a historic campaign with their first every Champions League success at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul a fortnight ago.

Manchester City’s players and staff celebrated into the early hours of the morning following the 1-0 win over Inter, before returning to Manchester and seeing the large majority of the first-team squad jet off for 12 hours of partying in Ibiza.

The squad returned early on the Monday afternoon, before celebrating the treble success with supporters through an open top bus parade around Manchester city centre, with the understanding being that as many as 200,000 fans lined the streets in the pouring rain.

Upon being asked whether he had fully recovered from three days of celebrations with his Manchester City teammates after winning the Champions League in Istanbul, Grealish told talkSPORT, “Yeah, of course! I probably had one of the most enjoyable seasons of my life.

He continued, speaking after England’s 7-0 win over North Macedonia, “The second half of the season, I played a big part in something that will go down in Man City history. Last weekend was the best weekend I’ve ever had. I’m still trying to come to terms with it.

“I’ve been on such a high the last week. I feel good. I trained on Wednesday and Thursday, and felt alright. Obviously, Saturday and Sunday, I felt good.”

Such wild celebrations however haven’t come and gone without critics, but when asked whether such criticism has bothered him in the slightest, Jack Grealish admitted, “Not really.

“I’d done something that comes around once in a lifetime. The last time it was done… I don’t know when Man United did it, but it hasn’t been done for ages. So why not celebrate like that? Everyone was with me. I wasn’t on my own, going out with my friends. I was with the whole team.

Grealish continued during his conversation with talkSPORT, “We enjoyed ourselves on the Saturday, Sunday, Monday. I had the best weekend of my life. I’d just won the Champions League and I was so emotional after it. I was probably on the biggest emotional high I’ve ever been on. The manager didn’t tell me, but I knew I wouldn’t play on the Friday.

“I came on today (Monday evening vs North Macedonia) and I felt good. Whatever you do in life, there will always be people in the background criticising you. It’s part and parcel of life. My full priority is with England. That’s why I was in camp on Tuesday night.

“Obviously I had a good weekend, it was the best weekend of my life.”

Following the conclusion of England’s international duties at the end of the club season, Grealish and his City teammates will now jet off for an extended period of time away from the sport as they look to recover ahead of the start of the new season.

Manchester City kick things off earlier than most teams, with a Community Shield match-up against Premier League runners-up Arsenal on Sunday 6 August, following a pre-season tour in Asia.

A trip to newly-promoted Burnley at Turf Moor will be Manchester City’s first game of the Premier League season, taking on Vincent Kompany’s players on the Friday night of the opening weekend.