Title: Jack Grealish: Finding Love for Football Again at Everton
Jack Grealish has always been one of English football’s most mercurial talents — gifted with vision, close control, and a flair that makes him a standout on any pitch. Yet, for all his promise and Premier League pedigree, the last few years have been turbulent. A blockbuster move to Manchester City in 2021 seemed like a dream, but Grealish struggled for consistency and identity in a star-studded squad. By the time he made the switch to Everton in 2025, many questioned whether the 30-year-old winger still had the spark that once made him the jewel of English football.
Today, Grealish speaks candidly about his decision to join Everton and what the move has done for him — not just as a player, but as a person. In a rare, heartfelt interview, he opens up about his relationship with football, with his manager, and with himself.
“100%,” Grealish says firmly when asked if he believes the move to Merseyside was the right one. “The manager says, ‘It’s not down to me, it’s down to Jack.’ Sometimes I don’t agree with that. I’ve come here and he’s been so good for me, I’ve loved playing for him.”
It’s a subtle but telling remark. Grealish acknowledges his responsibility in his own revival, but he’s quick to shine the light on the man who believed in him when few others did: David Moyes.
Appointed Everton manager at a critical time for the club, Moyes has returned to Goodison Park with a sense of purpose and calm that has clearly had an impact — not just on results, but on players. Grealish is one of the most notable examples of that man-management bearing fruit.
“I thank him for giving me my love for football back,” Grealish continues. “Waking up on a matchday and wanting to play… that feeling had gone for a while. I lost that buzz. I’d be lying if I said otherwise.”
Those words are especially poignant coming from a player who, not too long ago, was lifting trophies with Manchester City and representing England on the biggest stages. But trophies don’t always equal joy, and Grealish’s honesty lays bare a truth many fans forget: footballers, despite the fame and money, are not immune to disillusionment.
At Everton, the expectations were different. Grealish wasn’t just another name on the team sheet; he was brought in to be a leader, a creative force, a symbol of a rebuild. That responsibility, far from being a burden, seems to have reawakened something inside him.
“I needed somewhere that believed in me, but also challenged me,” he says. “That’s what the gaffer has done. He didn’t mollycoddle me. He said, ‘You’ve got to earn it.’ But he also showed me trust. That matters.”
Moyes’ influence is evident in Grealish’s performances this season. Operating in a freer role on the left or drifting centrally, he has rediscovered his swagger — the gliding runs, the clever passes, the confidence to take risks. But more than that, his body language tells its own story. Gone is the frustration, the slumped shoulders. In its place: urgency, energy, and a smile.
Off the pitch, Grealish credits the culture at Everton for helping him reconnect with the game. The training ground environment, the tight-knit squad, the intensity of the Goodison crowd — all of it has played a part.
“It’s different here,” he reflects. “There’s a rawness. The fans, they feel every kick, every tackle. You can’t hide. And for me, that’s what I needed. I didn’t need comfort — I needed connection.”
While many viewed his move to Everton as a step down, Grealish sees it differently. For him, it’s been a step inward — a chance to reflect, to recalibrate, and to reignite the passion that first drove him as a boy in Birmingham.
He’s quick to stress that this is just the beginning. “I’m not done. Not even close. I’ve got so much more to give. For Everton, for myself, maybe for England again. But right now, I’m just enjoying playing again — loving the game again.”
There’s something powerful in that — a reminder that form may dip, careers may stall, but talent, when paired with the right environment, can always find its way back. In Jack Grealish’s case, it found its way back at Goodison Park, under a manager who saw past the headlines and into the heart of a player who simply wanted to feel alive on the pitch again.
Grealish, reborn, isn’t chasing the ghosts of what might have been anymore. He’s living in the now, with the ball at his feet, the crowd at his back, and football — glorious, unpredictable football — back in his heart.
