Pep Guardiola's Lionel Messi decision for Man City shows Jack Grealish route back to first XI

Pep Guardiola invested absolutely everything when Manchester City became the first British outfit to break the £100million barrier to sign Jack Grealish - and not solely in financial terms.

The staggering price tag - which has been matched by three Premier League players since that 2021 transfer - has regularly been held up against Grealish directly as a barometer for performance levels. But while the sizable cheque signed over for his signature was jaw-dropping, any criticism on his part is missing the point.

Aston Villa would not have sold had the champions not activated his release clause. Beyond his or, perhaps, any player's market value, it spoke volumes about what boyhood club Villa knew they had at their disposal and what City wanted to get their hands on.

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Around that same time, City were desperate for a striker. However, a pursuit for Harry Kane was side-stepped and Guardiola - mindful of what was going on at former club Barcelona - thought Lionel Messi to be a step too far as he eventually moved to PSG from Camp Nou.

Something for City supporters to dream about in a parallel universe. It turned out pretty well on the striker front, too, when Erling Haaland pitched up at the Etihad Stadium around 12 months later to spearhead City to a historic treble win with an astonishing 52 goals in his 53 matches.

Haaland naturally grabbed most on-field headlines in that success, while Grealish took centre stage in the iconic celebrations that followed. But while the floppy-haired playmaker became a poster boy for those brilliant scenes which toasted City upon matching their neighbours, his impact was