Aston Villa: Jack Grealish had great hold over Rotherham, Birmingham and Middlesbrough: View | OneFootball

Jack Grealish is a player who has achieved virtually everything at club level from the Champions League to the Championship Play-Off final. You name it, he's done it.

For the Second City son, though, there are three teams he used to love playing against the most – Rotherham United, Middlesbrough, and his home club rivals, Birmingham City. In 11 Championship fixtures against these teams, the Villa man was lucky enough to not only not taste defeat but to return 33 points out of a possible 33, a remarkable tally.

Grealish stays loyal to his local club

From a young age, it was obvious Grealish was going to be a star. He was Villa's boy and had a brash style, not because he was arrogant or cocky, but because he had the talent, and he was going to make sure that he fulfilled it.

So, when Aston Villa were relegated to the Championship in 2016, many were surprised that he opted to stay at the club amid a great deal of transfer speculation from the Premier League.

For Grealish, this was his toughest task though, to take his local team back to the Premier League and prove that, whilst a player far too good for the Championship, he had the grit and determination you need to succeed at this level.

Boro and Millers swept aside

For Championship minnows Rotherham, the chance to face a team of Villa's quality was not to be shunned, but they, in truth, had very little success at all against them. In their two relegation campaigns, they faced Grealish and his Villains four times and succumbed to four defeats at an aggregate score of 9-1. Alongside these wins were some brilliant performances from Villa's number 10, who scored in a 3-0 win at Villa Park and got the crucial winner in a 2-1 comeback at the New York Stadium.

For Boro, it was a very similar story. In their three games against Grealish, they were defeated soundly all three times, losing 1-0 at the Riverside in 2017 before being dispatched 3-0 on both occasions in the 2018/19 season. The, at the time 24-year-old was widely praised for a superb performance at the Villa Park fixture where he dictated the game as well as providing an assist for John McGinn for their second of the afternoon.

Grealish dominates the Blues

For any footballer, to win and perform to the best of your ability against your club's hated rival is what dreams are made of. In Grealish's case, this is something that he can say he has done not once but four times. From his first 1-0 win against them in 2017 to scoring a brave header in a brilliant 4-2 victory at a packed Villa Park, he has haunted the Blues.

For most fans, there is one derby day game they remember the former Villa captain for.

For most of the 2018-19 campaign, Grealish had been in electric form and as derby day loomed, he knew his side couldn't put in a poor performance. But, within 10 minutes of the game starting, a surprise pitch invader attacked the in-form midfielder, punching him square in the jaw, something that no athlete could expect.

As the stewards intercepted the man, Grealish quickly refocused and the game restarted, remarkably as though nothing had happened. For a local boy, this only spurred him on more, and it was no surprise when, in the 67th minute, who else but the Blues arch nemesis stepped up and drilled a low shot past Lee Camp into the bottom right-hand corner. Wild celebrations ensued in the Railway End at St Andrew's and Grealish's side went on to claim a crucial 1-0 win in their promotion campaign.

Revenge will be hard to come by for Blues, Boro and Rotherham

Having dominated these three teams with a degree of ease in the Championship, Grealish continued to take control of matches in the Premier League, earning himself a £100 million pound move to Manchester City in 2021. Since joining Pep Guardiola's side, he has gone on to win a deserved treble among several other honors and looks set to be a stalwart of Pep's team for years to come.

For Blues, Millers and Boro fans, though, they will be glad to see the back of the exciting number 10 and hope that if they ever face him in the future they can change their fortunes.