FIFA World Cup 2022: Jack Grealish breaks silence after England’s devastating defeat to France

Jack Grealish has revealed his devastation following England’s heartbreaking defeat to France in the FIFA World Cup 2022.

The former Aston Villa captain, 27, from Birmingham, was among Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad, which crashed out of the 2022 Qatar quarter-finals on Saturday.

The match saw England up against reigning champions, France, who secured a 2-1 win, after Tottenham striker Harry Kane failed to equalise the game with his late penalty opportunity.

The defeat meant the Three Lions were sent back home to the UK, whilst France will go forward to play Morocco in the semi-finals.

Once on home soil, midfielder Jack Grealish took to Instagram to express how “absolutely devastated” he is about having to leave the tournament.

He shared a photo taken during the match in Qatar as he expressed how “proud” he is of the England squad.

Jack wrote: “Absolutely devastated to go out, words can’t describe as I really thought this was our year 😢 I’m so proud to be part of this team and it’s been a privilege to be with this group of players and staff for the past 4 weeks.

“We all have a unbelievable bond and we look forward to the future because we want to make history for all of you at home. Thank you to every England fan for your support during the past 4 weeks ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿”

The comments section was quickly flooded with messages from followers, celebrity friends, and team mates, all showing their support.

Fellow England midfielder, Bukayo Saka, who is also in the photo, commented with two red love hearts.

England’s Declan Rice added: “We go again brother.”

Grealish was signed to a five-year contract with Aston Villa in 2020, however, the following year it was announced that he had signed a six-year contract with Manchester City.

It was reported that the transfer fee paid to Aston Villa was for a staggering amount of £100 million, which was considered one of the most expensive transfers of an English player ever.

Many of the England squad chose to address the defeat with fans online and spoke of their pride in getting as far as they did in the tournament, while also taking the opportunity to thank fans for their support.

Damien Rice wrote: “I always feel immense pride putting on this shirt and the group is closer than ever. We will be back. Thank you for all your support - it means everything.”

Whilst 19-year-old, Jude Bellingham, wrote: “This one will be painful for a very long time. I’m so proud of the effort, fight and performance from my teammates over the course of the whole tournament.”

Bukayo Saka, who scored two of the six goals netted against Iran, also took his Instagram, writing: “I just wanted to say a genuine thank you to our fans, you’ve all been amazing both at the games and at home this tournament and we felt it.”