'Not super anymore' - national media witness public spat between Jack Grealish and Aston Villa fans
The last thing anyone ever expected to hear at Villa Park was a cacophony of boos for former Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish - but that's what happened in the victory over Man City.
Pep Guardiola's side were beaten 2-1 at Aston Villa - Grealish's former club - on Saturday. Grealish was involved from the start and was the target of booing by his former Villa supporters whenever he touched the ball. Tensions also boiled over on-field as he clashed with opposite goalkeeper Emi Martinez heading into the tunnel at half-time.
He was also seen to signal to the Villa boo boys with a hand gesture of three fingers, seemingly to remind them of his title success at Man City.
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The action hit all the headlines after the game. We take a look at the media fallout around the incident and what the national press made of it.
Daily Mail
Jack Grealish snapped back at Aston Villa fans who booed his return to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon with a reminder of his Manchester City achievements after the final whistle.
The £100million City man left Villa in 2021 and was welcomed back to his old club with a chorus of boos every time he had a touch during City's limp 2-1 Premier League defeat.
And Grealish was keen to offer an on-pitch retort as he held up three fingers to signify the three Premier League titles he has won under Pep Guardiola, letting his temper get the better of him at full-time.
talkSPORT
Villa fans were quick to let Grealish know what they thought of his form as they mocked him during the early afternoon encounter.
During his Villa days, Grealish was often serenaded with chants of 'Super Jack' from the stands.
But those lyrics were changed to 'You're not super anymore'.
And it proved to be all too much for Grealish following the full-time whistle as he held up three fingers to highlight he was correct in his decision to join City for £100million.
However his gesture didn't go down well with social media, as one X user said: "Sooooo shamelesssss. He hasn’t scored in years."
Independent
Jack Grealish held up three fingers to goading Aston Villa supporters as the Manchester City winger had an afternoon to forget on his return to Villa Park.
Starting against his boyhood club away from home for the first time since his £100m move to the Etihad, Grealish was on the end of a 2-1 defeat as City’s miserable run of form continued.
The England international helped Villa to promotion back to the Premier League in 2019 but was booed on every touch as he saw plenty of the ball during the first half.
Henry Winter
Football’s tribal, and hell hath no fury like a fan spurned etc, but this booing of Jack Grealish by those who used to sing his name seems harsh.
Grealish, an Aston Villa fan, played his heart out for the team, captained them proudly, took a punch from a pitch invader in the derby, helped get Villa up, was constantly fouled (a record 167 times in 19/20 PL), played on and eventually moved on. It happens in football. Has he been disrespectful to Villa?
No. In that ITV interview in 2021 he said that he moved because he wanted to play regularly in the CL to help his England chances. He’s got the trophies he’s wanted at City, including the CL. Villa got £100m and are doing fine without him.
