Has Jack Grealish become the new David Beckham? As fans swoon over Manchester City star, how the pair have A LOT in common from glam partners to driving bans (and signature hairdos)
- Jack Grealish has become a sensation with his treble celebrations
- READ MORE: Where are all the WAGs? Riyad Mahrez’s wife celebrates Manchester City’s victory parade (but some are still soaking up the sun abroad!)
With his boyish charm, chiselled good looks and six-pack, Jack Grealish has firmly cemented his heartthrob status after winning the treble and celebrating on a three-day bender with his Manchester City teammates.
Beloved both on and off the pitch, the Birmingham-born 27-year-old has also drawn comparisons to a young David Beckham.
The pair certainly have a lot in common, both making a name for themselves at their boyhood clubs – Aston Villa for Grealish and Manchester United for Beckham – before becoming among the most expensive players of all time.
Beckham too won the treble – with a different Manchester club – in 1999 when he was just 24 – and has earned millions in endorsement deals.
Grealish, who is known for his quirky fashion, recently signed a deal with Gucci, while David Beckham became a poster boy for metrosexual dressing in the noughties.
Perhaps most obviously, the pair are both famed for their distinctive hairstyles, with both players wearing Alice bands to protect blonde floppy locks on the pitch.
And while Beckham was the poster boy for a generation of England stars, Grealish has been dubbed a ‘poster boy for Generation Z’ with the biggest following of any of the Three Lions across all social media channels (although, he doesn’t even have 10 per cent of Becks’ 80M following on Instagram yet).
While Grealish undoubtedly has some way to go to hit both Beckham’s 115 England caps and his A-list status, there’s no doubt he’s on his way to the superstardom of ‘brand Beckham’.
Here FEMAIL reveals the similarities between the pair, from both being banned from driving to a love for music and rapper friends…
With his boyish charm, chiselled good looks and six-pack, Jack Grealish has firmly cemented his heartthrob status after winning the treble and celebrating on a three-day bender with his Manchester City teammates
Beloved both on and off the pitch, the Birmingham-born 27-year-old has also drawn comparisons to a young David Beckham (pictured in 1999)
LOVE OF FASHION AND THE FACE OF BIG CAMPAIGNS
David Beckham became an unlikely fashion icon in the noughties, getting known for some out-there looks, including his matching black leather Versace suit with wife Victoria, his purple wedding day suit and famously, a sarong, while off-duty during the 1998 World Cup in France.
But over the years, his style has become more refined, with him now often topping best dressed lists thanks to his perfectly tailored suits which he is often spotted in at football games.
Since retiring from the beautiful game, he’s modelled for many campaigns including H&M, Armani, Kent & Curwen and his own underwear brand.
And just like Beckham, Grealish isn’t shy of opting for some quirky clothes.
At Leeds Festival in 2021, he opted for a £380 mismatched multi-coloured bucket hat by Gallery Dept alongside a designer outfit.
Later that same month, he opted for peach trousers emblazoned with pictures of the Joker for a nightout in Manchester.
But fashionistas seem to enjoy Jack’s eccentric style – with Gucci making him the first ever footballer to be an ambassador for the brand – for a rumoured seven-figure sum.
Well documented; Victoria said they didn’t wear matching outfits a lot but the times that they did were well documented, including this matching outfit in 1998
Awards show: David and Victoria also matched up at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles in 2003
1999 and feeling FINE! The couple famously went down a similar fashion route years ago
Fashion fail: The footballing legend joked that his previous questionable looks were in fact sponsored by the Red Nose Day charity (Pictured with Victoria Beckham in 1998)
Jack is also known for his quirky looks – including wearing silk pyjamas today to celebrate
HAIR
At the height of his fame, Beckham’s antics off the pitch made as many headlines as on the pitch – with millions of people across the nation invested in his ever-changing locks.
Famously, he sported a blonde Mohawk for the 2002 World Cup – with thousands of teenagers across the country then copying the style.
At one point he let his locks grow, and then pushed it all back with an Alice band.
Alice band holding back floppy locks has since become Grealish’s signature style.
During lockdown, he even was pictured with his hair in plaits while training for Aston Villa.
He ditched the look in February and shaved his head, with a clip of him in the barber’s chair going viral.
Variety is the spice of life: David, who has tried various styles over the years, said his cornrows also made waves in 2003 when he got them done after a glass of wine in France
Trouble: The former footballer says his iconic mohawk cause the most trouble in 2000 when his then Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told him to shave it off
Heart-throb: The footballer, pictured during a training session at Man City Academy, is known for sporting his signature black headband to push back his locks on the pitch
Back of the net: The footballer previously shared the secrets to how he keeps his famed locks in such good condition, revealing he uses Moroccan oil, hair bond and hairspray to keep his barnet in shape
On the head: Jack swapped his 90s-style hair for short back and sides as the £100million Manchester City player jumped in the barber’s chair
LOVE OF MUSIC – AND SOME FAMOUS FRIENDS!
With both players based in Manchester for significant amounts of time, it’s not surprise that the pair have a love for the city’s music scene.
David, of course, married a pop star and has spoken of his love for Manchester bands including Stone Roses. He was often spotted at Oasis gigs in the 1990s.
While indie and Britpop dominated in the nineties, today grime and rap is the biggest part of the UK music scene.
Grealish has often spoken about his love of grime and has even joined Stormzy on stage at Leeds Festival.
He’s friendly with the Shut Up rapper with the pair snapping many photos together on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Beckham is also friendly with rappers, most notably Snoop Dogg who he’s been pally with for three decades.
Close: Snoop was reunited with Beckham and his sons Cruz and Romeo backstage at London’s O2 Arena last year
A host of Premier League stars have been snapped alongside grime artist Stormzy in Dubai
Speaking to MailOnline in March, Snoop said: ‘We’ve been friends since the early nineties. We love the same things. We love to win. We love to work hard. We’re family men, and people love us.
‘We’re naturally attracted to each other. We built the friendship years and years ago. He created a family, and I created a family.’
So close is their friendship that in 2007 Snoop even welcomed Beckham – at the time a new signing for Los Angeles Galaxy – as a special guest on his former reality show Father Hood, during which the pair unsuccessfully attempted to introduce soccer to the rapper’s children.
LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS – AND HEARTTHROB STATUS
David and Victoria Beckham are one of the most famous couples in the world, with their romance capturing the attention of the world in 1990s.
Now, married 24 years, with four children in tow, the couple are going as strong as ever.
Jack’s girlfriend, his childhood sweetheart, bares a striking resemblance to Posh Spice herself, with long brown hair and a keen eye for fashion. She has recently gone blonde, much like Victoria did for a brief stint.
The pair too both undoubtely have heartthrob status and legions of female fans.
Beckham was named People Magazine’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ in 2015, while ‘Mrs Grealish’ shirts are often seen in the crowds at England games.
Jack’s girlfriend, his childhood sweetheart, bares a striking resemblance to Posh Spice herself, with long brown hair and a keen eye for fashion. She has recently gone blonde, much like Victoria did for a brief stint.
By his side: Sasha Attwood was there to celebrate Jack winning the Treble
BOYHOOD CLUBS…. AND WINNING THE TREBLE IN MANCHESTER
Beckham was just 14 when he signed for his favourite club, Manchester United.
He then joined what became known as ‘the Class of ’92’ with a youth team that produced some of the UK’s best ever players including Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt.
He stayed at Manchester United until 2003 in what was the second most expensive sale in of an English footballer at the time – for €37 million.
That wasn’t before winning the treble – the Premiership, Champions League and FA Cup in 1999. It was feat unique to British football for 24 years, until Grealish’s Manchester City reached the feat this week.
Just like Beckham, Grealish started out at his boyhood club – Aston Villa. Signing on when he was only six-years-old.
He captained the squad and left in 2021 when he went to Manchester City for £100 million – the most expensive transfer of an English player ever.
Grealish also bares a striking resemblance to Becks – with the pair both rocking curtains
David and Victoria are famed for their matching outfits – including Versace suits in 1999
DRIVING BANS
While the pair are both celebrated on and off the pitch, both have got into trouble behind the wheel.
Grealish was banned from driving for nine months and fined a total of £82,499 after crashing his £80,000 Range Rover into two parked vehicles during lockdown.
He breached coronavirus lockdown rules less than 24 hours after he urged fans to ‘Stay Home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives.’
Grealish had also admitted a second charge of careless driving relating to allegations he drove without due care and attention on the M42 reaching speeds of up to 98mph.
Meanwhile Beckham, has been fined for speeding many times.
In May 2019, he was banned from driving for six months and been ordered to pay a £750 fine after admitting using his phone while driving in the previous November.
He was banned from the roads by District Judge Catherine Moore, who added six points to his licence which already had six points on it from two previous speeding offences.
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