Jack Grealish left out several notable names when he ranked his all-time top ten Premier League midfielders.
Grealish, 29, has put together a hugely successful career in his own right, having won seven major trophies – three Premier League titles (2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24), the Champions League (2022-23), the FA Cup (2022-23), the UEFA Super Cup (2023), and the FIFA Club World Cup (2024) – with Manchester City since his 2021 move from boyhood club Aston Villa.
During his time at City, he has shared a dressing room with world-class talents such as Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva.
And he did include De Bruyne, 33, in his top ten midfielders list – but who else featured?
Grealish gave his choices when speaking to TNT Sports in 2020, when he was still an Aston Villa player.
Jack Grealish gave his thoughts (Credit:Getty)
10) David Silva
“I think he’s probably one of the best Spaniards to play in the Premier League. Out of all the shirts I’ve got at home, he’s probably one of the best. He’s so technically good, so technically gifted, and his record of the number of trophies he’s won speaks for itself.”
9) Patrick Viera
“So successful in the Premier League and was in that Invincible side at Arsenal, and he played a major part in that. He’s one that I wouldn’t like to be going up against when he’s at his best.”
8) Gareth Bale
“I know he’s classed as a forward but when he was in the Premier League he was more of a left-back and then left midfielder.”
7) Cesc Fabregas
“He’s one of a few players who have got over 100 assists in the Premier League. When he first came through at Arsenal he was one of the most talked about youngsters on the planet. When he was at Chelsea, he was more of a holder and his passing range was unbelievable.”
6) Yaya Toure
“I played against Yaya on my debut for Villa. We were 2-0 down at the time and we ended up losing 4-0. I’ve got a photo of him running past me and he ran past the whole team and ended up scoring. That season he was unbelievable.”
5) Frank Lampard
“The all-time top goalscoring midfielder in the Premier League. I always ask JT (John Terry) at Villa about him to get little ideas that can improve my game that Lampard had. JT said he used to just be on the training ground every day practising his shooting which is why he probably scored so many goals.”
4) Ryan Giggs
“I think he’s got the most assists in the Premier League so that’s why he’s at No.4.”
3) Kevin De Bruyne
“My favourite player in the world at the moment. Until you play against him, you don’t realise how good he is. He just has so many talents. One thing I can say is that everything he does is different. Sometimes he’ll get it and take a few touches, sometimes he’ll get it and cross it straight away, other times he’ll just pass it off first time. People don’t give him credit for how fit and how fast he is.”
2) Steven Gerrard
“Him and JT are the two best captains in the Premier League. He scored so many banging goals and I think in the prime of his career he had everything.”
1) Cristiano Ronaldo
“I know he’s gone on to be a striker but when he was in the Premier League, he was a midfielder. It’s a toss-up between him and Messi to be the best player in the world. His goal record in the Premier League was just scary.”
Of course, it must be stressed that when Grealish made the claims, this was before he’d played alongside players such as Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan, so it is likely that his choices may have changed.
