Jack Grealish reveals £500 bet with Trent Alexander-Arnold over England free-kick
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Jack Grealish disclosed that he owes Trent Alexander-Arnold £500 following a wager made with his England teammates—just before he netted an incredible free-kick in the team’s 3-1 victory against Finland.
Alexander-Arnold’s fantastic free kick increased England’s lead in Helsinki and brought some excitement to a challenging second half. Declan Rice later scored a late goal to secure a vital victory for interim manager Lee Carsley.
Grealish, who celebrated his first goal by dedicating it to his newborn daughter, whom he welcomed earlier this month, stood next to Alexander-Arnold at the free-kick. He jokingly promised to give the Liverpool defender a bonus if he managed to score.
Now Grealish will need to face the consequences after Alexander-Arnold took charge and curled an impressive shot into the top corner from 25 yards out.
Grealish told ITV, “I made a joke to Trent just before the free-kick, saying, ‘If you score this, I’ll give you 500 pounds.’”
"And he nailed it into the top corner."
Grealish expressed his backing for England's coach Carsley after the temporary manager faced criticism over his strategies during the 2-1 loss to Greece at Wembley on Friday.
"No matter what happens with the England coach, there will always be critics," Grealish remarked, as he missed the match against Greece.
"Previously, there was a lot of demand for all the offensive players to be on the field, but that approach didn't yield good results. I don't really understand why; sometimes things just don't go as planned during a match."
"I really enjoy being here, working under a fantastic manager, and I truly love playing for him."
Grealish also expressed his admiration for Angel Gomes, highlighting the assist that set up his first goal in Helsinki.
"We could have had a couple more, but there were times when it proved to be challenging," he mentioned.
"The manager allowed us to play freely, which really helped us achieve our goal. During practice, I train alongside Angel Gomes, and I recognize what an exceptional player he is. The celebration was dedicated to my young daughter."
