Paul Gascoigne, who Grealish has been compared to by former managers and players, had to prove to Bobby Robson that his unpredictable talent could be harnessed within a team before going on to help England to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup and win 57 caps – the last of which came when Grealish was aged just two.
“Of course I know about Gazza,” Grealish said. “I don’t really see myself as him, but I would love to be like him, the way that he played football. He played with such joy. I think everyone who watched him could see that. That is what I want to do.
“One of the biggest compliments for people to say to you is that you make them happy watching football. I would love to get compared to Gazza. I think he is an absolute icon. Him, along with Wayne Rooney, was probably one of the greatest England players over the last 30 years. There have been a load [of good players], but if they were the top two, Gazza would be my first.”
It is hard to believe that a player who approached his first England start with such confidence could be struck down by stage fright, but that is exactly what happened when Grealish attended his first national trials aged 15.
“I was just a young lad, going to meet up with all the best players from England, and it was a big difference from what I was used to,” Grealish said. “When I got there, I woke up in the middle of the night and went to go to the toilet. My room-mate, who was Diego Poyet, Gus Poyet’s son, heard a bang and then I just woke up in the bathroom. I had obviously collapsed.
“I didn’t want to go home the following day, but England said they thought it was best that I did. From then on, I went to play for Ireland through the youth levels and I carried on with them because of how much I enjoyed it.
“But as I got older I realised I am English, my family is English and in the future that’s what I want to do. And I want to be in the squad now for the next, however long – five, six years – and I want to have a long England career and get many caps.”