Grealish, who knocked back Ireland in 2015, is now shining with England

In 2015, when Jack Grealish decided to not play internationally for Ireland, who he’d represented at Under-17 and Under-21 levels, his call-up to the England side seemed imminent.

However, his Three Lions debut was delayed and he didn’t play his first match for England until September 8 last year against Denmark.

In his first full match with England, he put in a Man of the Match display despite losing 2-0 to Belgium.

“I loved it,” he said after the game.

“This is what I’d been waiting for for so long.

“These are the kinds of matches that I dreamed of playing in. I’ve wanted to play for England since I was a child.”

Grealish was in danger of missing out on this summer’s tournament after missing 12 Premier League matches between February and May through injury.

He’s back to his best form with England, though, after a good display against Austria and another Man of the Match performance against Romania.

For the past three seasons, the midfielder has been the most fouled player in his league – two times in the Premier League and one in the Championship, receiving 109, 167 and 147 fouls.

Despite only playing 26 matches, he finished the 2020/21 season with six goals and 10 assists, with only Harry Kane (14), Bruno Fernandes and Kevin de Bruyne (12 each) beating him.

He’s also the player, alongside De Bruyne, with most goal contributions per 90 minutes, creating 0.86 goals per game.