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Jack Grealish has revealed how he collapsed in the middle of the night while playing for England at the youth team level.
The Villa captain dazzled in his debut for the Three Lions against Wales in the middle of the week and was named player of the match for his special performance.
However, the 25-year-old spoke about the time he was on probation with England at 15 before moving to play for the Republic of Ireland.
Grealish played 19 times for Ireland at the U-17, 18 and 21 levels before switching his allegiance to England in 2016.
“I was just a young man, I was going to meet the best players from England, from all over the country, and it was a big difference from what I was used to,” detailed Grealish, who explained how the England coaches sent him home. after he was too nervous to play.
“When I arrived I woke up in the middle of the night, went to the bathroom and then my roommate, who was Diego Poyet, Gus Poyet’s son, heard a crash and then I woke up in the bathroom. Obviously I had collapsed.
“I didn’t want to go home the next day, but England said they thought it best if I did. I always wanted to play for England and I am very grateful to the coach for making it possible.”
Meanwhile, Grealish, who has scored five in his last five games with Villa, now wants to become a great England player and win as many international matches as possible.
“I want to be in the team now for the next, no matter how long, five, six years, and I want to have a long career in England and be international,” he said. “I want to cement my place.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself on and off the court.”
Villa’s man was also asked about being compared to Paul Gascoigne, saying: “I would love to be compared to Gazza. I think he’s an absolute icon.
“He, along with Wayne Rooney, was probably one of the best players in England in the last 30 years. There have been many, but if they were the first two, Gazza would be the first.”
Grealish looks set to start with England against Belgium tomorrow and was asked by reporters why he wears his socks so low.
He said, “I wear low socks for two reasons. One, when I was younger, I had a season where I wore socks down and that’s when my life took off when I was 16.”
“I thought to myself: ‘I’ve done well this season, I’m going to continue with this.’
“There’s another reason too. A lot of socks are so tight around my calves that they give me cramps. I try to get them to get them under my calves. I don’t do any work for them either. It’s just one thing that runs in my family.”
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