Jack Grealish believes Manchester City teammate Kevin de Bruyne is the third-best player in the world behind Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo and six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi.
The 25-year-old midfielder was one of the most sought-after players this summer following an incredible 2020-21 campaign with Aston Villa. He also emerged as one of the standout performers for England at Euro 2020.
Jack Grealish completed a £100 million move to Manchester City last week and made his debut for the club in their 1-0 defeat to Leicester City in the FA Community Shield on Saturday.
Jack Grealish is likely to play alongside the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Riyadh Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan in midfield for Manchester City next season.
The England star revealed he is excited to team up with Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne. He believes the 30-year-old is currently the third best footballer on the planet behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
"I've spoken about him a good few times. I have always said that apart from Ronaldo and Messi I think he is the best in the world. I think he has got absolutely everything. He is another one where I don't think people give him enough credit for how fast he is," said Grealish in his first interview as a Manchester City player.
"He normally knocks the ball by defenders, his final ball is obviously unbelievable. That is something that, in the season before I got six assists and I sat down with the manager and I was watching clips of Kevin de Bruyne at Villa. I said this is what I want to do, I want my end ball to be like his and that is something I practiced on.
"I have never played alongside him, I have played against him a few times, got his shirt, but he is one that I cannot wait to play alongside," he added.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continue to dominate world football despite the emergence of Kevin de Bruyne, Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe
Despite entering the final stages of their respective careers, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi proved that they can continue to be the talisman for their countries and clubs this summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 thanks to his five goals in four games for Portugal. But the Juventus star was unable to carry his side to the latter stages of the tournament.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, led Argentina to the country's first major trophy since 1993. Messi scored four goals and provided five assists at Copa America 2021.