Portugal first-teamers Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva are making bets about England midfielder Jack Grealish during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The trio are club teammates at Manchester City.
Silva has now revealed that he has been making bets with Dias about how many times the former Aston Villa man will earn a free kick for England. He said (via Express):
“I keep sending messages to Jack. The other game when he was brought on, I was filming Ruben and I was saying: ‘How many fouls do you think Jack Grealish is going to win in these 25 minutes?’ Ruben said nine and I said seven. I was closer as he didn’t win that much."
Grealish is a crafty player with the ball. He attracts opponents towards him, which helps his teammates get more space. However, that trait often results in the Manchester City star being fouled on the pitch. This season, he has already been fouled five times.
Grealish's knack of winning free kicks has continued in Qatar as well. This attribute seems to be serving his national team as well.
Silva further added that he is happy for Manchester City teammates Grealish and Phil Foden as the Three Lions have already reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“I am very happy for Jack and for Phil Foden as well, for all the Man City players. They have been doing quite well for England.”
Grealish struggled in his first season at Manchester City. However, Silva is banking on him to become an asset for the team in the near future.
“I love Jack as well, he’s a great guy. The first season is not very easy... Jack, the way he works for the team, the way he attracts players to then create spaces for other players has been helping us a lot. He’s improving and I think he is going to be great for Man City the next few years.”
Portugal star Bernardo Silva not keen to face Jack Grealish's England at 2022 FIFA World Cup
England have been in spectacular form in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Gareth Southgate's team is unbeaten in Qatar and Portugal's Bernardo Silva is not too keen to face his teammate Jack Grealish.
The two teams are on a collision course for the semi-finals. Silva expressed his opinions about a potential face off between Portugal and England:
“England will be tough but France would be as well. I wish the Man City lads all the best but I honestly don’t want to play against them.”
England romped into the quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over Senegal on 5 December.
Prior to their round of 16 match, the Three Lions won two of their group stage games. They started off by beating Iran 6-2, then endured a draw against the United States of America, and ended the stage with a 3-0 win over Wales.
Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka lead the goal-scoring chart for the English team with three each. On the flip side, the team has conceded just two goals in their four matches so far, highlighting their defensive prowess.