Manchester City's Jack Grealish gestures to the crowd after the match at Villa Park
Manchester City's Jack Grealish gestures to the crowd after the match at Villa Park
Michael Owen has slammed Aston Villa supporters' treatment of Jack Grealish during their victory over Manchester City, saying it made his 'blood boil'.
The club's former captain was booed by a section of fans at Villa Park and responded by raising three fingers to those taunting him, signifying the number of Premier League titles he has won since completing a £100million transfer to City in 2021.
Grealish had only played three minutes in City's three previous Premier League trips to Villa Park and was treated like just another former player on Saturday. The 29-year-old famously led Villa to promotion back to the Premier League in 2019 before establishing the club back in the top flight with a string of star showings.
Ex-Liverpool and Manchester United striker Owen has reacted furiously to the abuse Grealish received on his Villa Park return.
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Posting on social media platform X, Owen said: "I often hear or see things in football that makes my blood boil. Most people will probably feel the same at some point or other. I guess that’s quite natural when you care passionately about something, or in my case, when it’s something that has consumed your entire life.
"The current capitulation of reigning champions Manchester City is enough of a story to fill back pages and jam radio stations up and down the country. But there was another story at Villa Park yesterday that genuinely left me feeling sick to the bottom of my stomach.
"Of course, tarring a set of people with the same brush is not something I’m into. I’ve lived a life whereby myself and my teammates have been stereotyped and it’s pretty annoying. There will always be kind, honest, generous, respectful, caring people in all walks of life just as there will always be nasty, jealous, spiteful, bitter people too. Your job or where you’re from doesn’t necessarily make you fall into a certain category.
"But to those Villa fans who booed Jack Grealish yesterday, you fall into the second category and should hang your heads in shame.
"Here is a lad that came through YOUR academy. Supported The Villa all his life and no doubt still does. He single-handedly dragged YOUR team back into the Premier League when you were bang average at best. He kept you up and in hindsight, showed you ten times more loyalty than you are now showing him. He was hardly ever injured and delivered Man Of The Match performances on a regular basis. He cost you nothing, gave you incredible service and made YOUR club over £100m when he left."
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