All the times Jack Grealish proved he’s the nicest person in football | OneFootball

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Jack Grealish has been praised for making a kind gesture to a young visually impaired fan after Manchester City's Super Cup victory over Sevilla on penalties.

City claimed the trophy after falling behind in the game to a bullet header from striker, Youssef En-Nesyri, in the opening 45 minutes. Despite controlling the majority of possession, the Citizens were struggling to create any concrete opportunities while also having problems containing the Sevilla attacking players.

After a few vital saves from Ederson, last season's Champions League winners brought themselves level with a well guided Cole Palmer header from a Rodri cross.

With the scores level after 90 minutes, the game headed to a penalty shootout, in which Nemanja Gudelj missed the all important spot kick as he hit the cross-bar to send the trophy back to Manchester.

Grealish's Super Cup gesture to young fan

After the aforementioned Super Cup success against Sevilla, the CIty team made their way up to collect their medals and the trophy when Grealish stopped in his tracks when he reached a young fan that was visually impaired. He briefly ignored the congratulations from UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin, to have a chat with the young girls that was stood next to him.

This showed a real down-to-earth side to the player, when it can become easy for people in the public eye to lose sight of who they are deep down. It is far from the only time he has shown this side, with the 27-year-old being one of the more open and human-like player in the modern game.

This is not the first time the Birmingham-born player has warmed the hearts of the nation with kind acts over recent years. His image as a party boy is certainly overshadowed by the good deeds he carries out on a consistent basis and this is a reason for him being deemed a favourite among a lot of fans.

So, we take a look at eight other times the England international has gone above and beyond and proved he is one of - if not the - nicest person in the game.

Support for life-saving treatment

Dylan Lamb, a 20-year-old student from Liverpool, was given only weeks to live earlier this year after being diagnosed with Leukemia following a trip to the doctors with back pain. The only chance he was given was treatment in America, for which he set up a GoFundMe page in an attempt to raise his £1 million goal.

Grealish reportedly saw this and made a very significant and generous £5,000 donation towards the cause. He also shared the story on his Instagram page - on which he has a massive following - and urged people to read the attached. Another example of the 27-year-old using his platform and status to great effect.

Generous donations

On top of the previous entry to this list, the Man City man has made a massive £150,000 donation to a local hospital as well as auctioning off a match-worn shirt from his time at Aston Villa in order to raise £55,000 for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Football players earn an extortionate amount of money in the modern game, particularly at clubs such as Manchester City and other top Premier League sides, but this does not mean they all look to use this income for good. Grealish has gone up in the estimations of many on the back of these generous sums of money he has given towards good causes.

It is safe to say there are likely to be more gestures such as this in the future with many years still to play in his top level career.

Doing it for Finlay

A 6-2 win over Iran at the 2022 World Cup saw Grealish net his second goal for his country after tapping the ball in. The celebration that followed was a special one that originally had left fans guessing the meaning behind it. There really was a heartwarming story behind the celebration as it was revealed it was inspired by a young fan with cerebral palsy.

The young fan was called Finlay, and he had previously written to his hero before being lucky enough to meet up with Grealish. The 11-year-old had asked if the midfielder could perform the specific celebration if he found the back of the net and Grealish did not disappoint. Speaking after the game, he said: "I met young Finlay before about a month or ago. Got on, obviously, and really well with him."

Continuing to say: "Him obviously, having cerebral palsy like my little sister as well so he asked me to do a celebration for him and luckily for him, it came at the World Cup."

His little sister having the same condition means the City man has a greater appreciation for the struggles that come along with it, and he was more than happy to make Finlay's day: "That's what it's all about. For me, it's just doing a celebration, that will mean the world to him, I'm sure. Especially me doing it at the World Cup, so Finlay, that one's for you."

In another brilliant gesture towards a visually-impaired fan, Grealish sent a shirt along with a letter in braille to Ralph Mullineaux. It is a classy touch that many would not have considered and it was certainly appreciated by the family of the fan in question.

The mother of the young fan took to Twitter to write: "Thank you so much to man of the moment, @jackgrealish, who’s sent Ralph a signed shirt and a personalised letter - written in Braille!"

She continued to say: "Grealish is Ralph’s hero. Ralph wears his hair like Jack, so he can be just like him, and he even wanted to wear his hairband when he starred in @guidedogsuk latest advert."

The £100 million star has definitely left his mark on many young fans and always looks to do his best to give back to them whenever possible. It is an admirable quality to have as a hero to many.

Long-time supporter of the Saving Lives and Children in Need charities, and an ambassador for the Special Olympics

It is clear at this point that he is a big advocate of charities and giving back to people in less fortunate positions than himself. His role of ambassador for the Special Olympics appears to be strongly linked with his little sister's struggles with cerebral palsy.

A statement from the City winger said: “I’ve been thinking for some time about how I can best use the platform football has given me to create a positive change, and it had to be something really close to my heart. Special Olympics GB is such an important organisation, playing a huge role in tackling the lack of inclusion for hundreds of thousands of kids in the UK with intellectual disabilities."

He has commited to a long-term role with the organisation to use his platform to raise awareness and make positive change if possible.

He has visited ill children in hospital and handed out free match tickets to youngsters

All of the previous entries to this list about going out his way to make young fans feel good are the few gestures brought to the attention of the media, There are also occasions - as will be the case with other players - where a heartwarming action will be taken that is not reported on by the press.

Behind closed doors gestures such as visiting fans struggling in hospital and handing out free match tickets to give them brilliant experiences they would not have otherwise, are all small things for him to go out his way to do, but make such a difference to the people on the receiving end.

Donated £5,000 towards Shawn Francis' funeral costs

A heart-breaking story saw Shawn Francis take his own life after the loss of two close family members on April 29th 2023. Grealish donated money towards the costs of the funeral for Francis, who was set to be a father.

It is obvious that Grealish is just a brilliant person with all the help he provides to other, and this donation will have hopefull taken at least a small part of stress from the family's shoulders at an awful time.

Gifting a signed PS5 to a fan with rare skin disorder

Another gift to a young fan, with a special personal touch. Moin Younis, a 20-year-old fan was on the lookout for a rare at the time PS5. Grealish - still at Aston Villa - was quick to source the console and send it to Moin in a kind act.

He also signed a message on the side of the PS5 that read: "A little early Christmas present for ya!!" This personal touch makes fans feel a little bit closer to football players that they idolise. His message was signed off with: "Love ya mate, Jacky 10."

The fan suffers from a rare genetic skin disorder, and will have been delighted at the early Christmas gift.