Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish has dedicated his goal against Leicester City, his first in the Premier League in almost 16 months, to his younger brother Keelan on the 25th anniversary of his death.
Grealish, making his first league start since December, opened the scoring in the second minute to send Man City on their way to a comfortable 2-0 win that lifted them up to fourth place.
Speaking after the match, an emotional Grealish revealed the poignant family anniversary he was marking. He was only four years old when Keelan died in April 2000, aged just nine months, due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
"My little brother passed away 25 years ago today," Grealish told Sky Sports. "This day is hard on the family.
"My mum and dad were here, so to score and to win was brilliant."
Grealish paid tribute with a post on Instagram, with the message: "With me always especially this day... that was for you Keelan."
Man City manager Pep Guardiola praised Grealish's compassionate nature, saying: "Jack is an incredible human being. He is incredibly generous.
"I didn't know that [about Keelan] and I can't imagine how tough it can be with mum and dad and sister. It is good they remember him, this day. I am sure they remember him every single day. But it is good to score."
'My game is about a lot more than goals'
With striker Erling Haaland ruled out for up to seven weeks with an ankle injury, Guardiola has been forced to rearrange his attack.
He responded by picking Grealish in a No 10 role against Leicester, and the 29-year-old immediately justified that decision with his early goal.
But Grealish is keen to stress that he provides many qualities to the team other than scoring goals.
“This season, I've obviously not been at my best,” Grealish said on Sky Sports.
“I know myself that I could score more, but I know I give a lot more than scoring. I think my highest ever tally for goals is about eight in a season. I don't think I was ever brought here to score 20, 30 goals a season.
“I wanted a chance to play and I think I've only started in the FA Cup this year. I was devastated not to play at the weekend [in the quarter-final] because I'd played in every other round.
“I was so disappointed, but I came on [against Bournemouth] and felt like I played well. I felt like I deserved to play tonight, and I was just happy.”
Man City are next in action on Sunday when they head to Old Trafford for the Manchester derby.
