Grealish joined Stormzy on stage and felt like Messi ahead of UCL clash at City

The England star was identified as the missing piece of the puzzle to help Manchester City land the one trophy that has evaded them.

Grealish had been vocal about his desire to play Champions League football for years and finally realised his dream against RB Leipzig in September.

The 6-3 win - in which he scored - marked a sensational few months for the 26-year-old, who endeared himself to the country this summer.

Grealish enjoyed a breakout tournament with England at Euro 2020 but admitted his career could have got in a very different direction.

The playmaker hilariously claimed that he'd be soaking up the rays as a promoter in Ibiza or Tenerife if he wasn't a footballer.

"I would be getting everyone into the club", Grealish, whose father is a plasterer, told The Times.

"I couldn't be a plasterer, like my dad," he said, laughing. "I'd be a club promoter. Tenerife. Or Ibiza."

City moved quickly to sign Grealish from boyhood club Aston Villa after the Euros - splashing a British transfer record £100million in the process.

The move came just days after Lionel Messi waved a teary goodbye to Barcelona ahead of his free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

And Grealish admitted he identified with the legendary Argentine after revealing that his final day at Villa was also emotional.

"Everyone has seen the way Messi was at his final press conference and that is the exact way I felt myself," he said.

"Before I left the hotel, I spoke to the team and the staff and the players and I 'teared up' a little bit myself, but I felt it was time for me to move on.

"I have always said I wanted to play Champions League football and I couldn't do that at Villa this year."

Grealish's start to life at the Etihad has by no means been poor, regularly making the Premier League champions' starting eleven and scoring twice.

And the former Notts County loanee was in the mood to celebrate in August after a 5-0 win over Arsenal by joining Stormzy on stage at Leeds festival.

The pair are well known to each other and the musician was seen wearing an England shirt with Grealish on the back during the Euros.

As well as this, Stormzy gave City's No.10 a shout out on a remix of Yaw Tog's song 'Sore' earlier this year.

But Grealish may deserve his own song entirely if he helps Pep Guardiola and co to the Champions League promise land this season…