Is that a bar of soap?! Jack Grealish's tiny shin pads shown in rare footage as Man City star’s dressing room set-up revealed

Grealish is usually one of the most recognisable players on the pitch, owing to his iconic choice of rolled down socks aided by a pair of minuscule shin pads. Despite them being a staple of his on-pitch look, those items are rarely seen - until recent footage of City's dressing room revealed all. Grealish's shin pads resemble a bar of soap and have a hand-written 'JG-10' scribbled over them.

The England international explained back in 2021 his decision for the shrunken shin protectors, owing to superstitition rather than an emulation of Manchester United legend George Best. "Obviously your socks are supposed to go above your calves," he said. "But one year when I was here [at Aston Villa], the socks once shrunk in the wash. So they wouldn’t go higher. That season, I ended up playing really well. So it became a superstitious thing for me. I thought ‘I’m going to keep doing this because I’ve done well’."

"A lot of people say that it’s because of George Best," he added. "While I love him and admire so much what he did, that isn’t the reason."

Grealish's shin pads show him in the changing room ahead of City's blockbuster FA Cup clash against Premier League rivals Newcastle, who are both vying for a place alongside Coventry City in the semi-finals. The England international makes a return to the squad after playing just 38 minutes of football since his injury back in mid-February, in what will be a huge boost to his Euro 2024 chances. Grealish wasn't selected in Gareth Southgate's 25-man squad for the upcoming March friendlies.

Grealish will hope to make an impact off the bench and help his side maintain their quest for a second successive treble. Standing in their way are Eddie Howe's Newcastle, whose midfielder Bruno Guimaraes may use Saturday's game as a trial before his potential move to City in the summer.