‘Dream come true’- Jack Grealish reveals text from mum before Man City draw vs Real Madrid

Jack Grealish described starting in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid as a ‘dream come true’.

The Manchester City winger did play at the Bernabeu last season, but only came off the bench in the second period as the Blues were eliminated. A year on, and Grealish started in the rematch on Tuesday, with the England international now playing a starring role for Pep Guardiola’s side, unlike last season.

The game finished 1-1 in Madrid thanks to goals from Vinicius Junior and Kevin De Bruyne, on a tight and tense night in the first leg. However, one man who didn’t feel the nerves was Grealish, who revealed that he received a heartwarming text from his mum ahead of the game.

“I loved it,” Grealish said on BT Sport. “We were saying before the game that these are the nights that you play football for, these are the nights you dream of playing in. Everyone in the world watching the semi-final of the Champions League in a stadium like this and it’s a dream come true.

“I had a text from my mum saying ‘these are the games you’ve dreamed about since you were a kid’,” the former Aston Villa captain captain added. “It’s true and playing in a semi-final of the Champions League. Everyone in the world was probably watching. You pinch yourself, not to get nervous because I wasn’t nervous one bit. But you pinch yourself to say ‘this is the life’.”

A 1-1 scoreline means City have a slight advantage ahead of the second leg next week, and Grealish is hoping that the side’s impressive form at the Etihad can prove decisive when Real come to Manchester.

“I think Brentford before the World Cup was the last time we even drew or lost a game [at home],” said the City no.10. “I think even within ourselves, at the Etihad we feel unstoppable. We came here tonight to try and win. I think it shows our character to come from a goal down. It’s always tough at a place like this. In the end I thought it was a fair result.”