A Wembley final is usually an occasion to dress your best - but someone appeared to have forgotten to tell Aston Villa's Jack Grealish. The Villa captain was an inspirational figure behind the club's return to the Premier League after <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/dean-smith-on-aston-villa-s-premier-league-promotion-potential-now-is-massive-1.866873">they beat Derby County 2-1</a> in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Monday. But fans were shocked to see the state of Grealish's battered boots after the final whistle was blown. Rather than sporting an immaculate, new pair for the big day, the 23-year-old's Nikes looked like they had been put through a cheese grater. Not that it affected Grealish's performance, and he later revealed the reason for his questionable footwear. "Well I came back from injury and they were brand new, and then I got a few goals, a few assists," he said in an interview with Sky Sports on the Wembley pitch immediately after the match. "I thought these were my lucky boots so I've had to keep them." Now it remains to be seen whether Grealish will turn out in the same boots when the Premier League kicks off in August. That wasn't the end of a dramatic day for the boyhood villa fan. He ended up with a cut to his head when he lifted the trophy with teammate James Chester and it sliced through his skin. He said: "He was an unbelievable feeling lifting that trophy until Chessie (James Chester) pushed it my way and slit my eyebrow open and I just had to get it glued." <strong>____________</strong>
