Jack Grealish says he regrets mocking Newcastle's Miguel Almiron and has revealed he apologised to the Paraguayan through a team-mate.
While celebrating Manchester City's Premier League title win last season, Grealish was filmed joking that Riyad Mahrez deserved to be taken off in the dramatic comeback against Aston Villa on the final day because he had "played like Almiron".
The Newcastle winger scored just one goal last season but has found the net eight times in 15 League appearances for the high-flying Magpies in the first half of this campaign, while Grealish has just one goal for City.
Almiron has played down beef with Grealish, saying he wishes him "all the best", but Newcastle and England striker Callum Wilson has suggested the winger has used the comment as motivation for his superb form.
Asked if the subject had come up with Wilson at the World Cup, Grealish said: "Yeah it has. I haven’t actually been asked about that and let me just address it.
"It was the day after the season finished and obviously I’d had a few drinks and stuff. We were out celebrating and I wasn’t on my phone and social media. And then I remember I was in Ibiza and it had obviously come out. That was one thing I regret.
"Sometimes I do stupid stuff, that was one. I regret that. I swear, I’m actually buzzing the way he’s reacted. He said something about me in the interview the other day, he wished me the best. I thought, ‘what a guy man’ because if that was me and somebody had said that about me, I’d have probably been the other way and been like ‘f**k it’.
"I messaged [Almiron's Newcastle team-mate] Matt Targett because I’m close with him from Villa and I said to him ‘can you message him for me and say to him that I apologise, I obviously didn’t mean it’.
"When I look back on that, that was just one thing that was stupid of me to say it. I shouldn’t have said it. I didn’t realise it was going to go out. I didn’t realise it was a video to go out, I thought it was just private. But even in private I shouldn’t have said it because he’s a fellow professional.
"I’m actually buzzing for him, I’ve had a lot of stick off the Newcastle fans and rightly so. At the end of the day, they are backing their player which I fully understand. He seems like the most harmless, nice guy, so fair play, I’m buzzing for him.
"[Targett] just said ‘Jack, he’s a lovely kid and that he’s harmless and doesn’t really speak a lot of English. He won’t really be bothered’. I didn’t want to reply on social media because you dig a bigger hole and I’ve been there with other stuff."
Grealish had been drinking when he made the comment about Almiron, but says he makes no apology for enjoying himself and is not concerned about anyone questioning his dedication to the game.
"I’m living my dream," he said. "I like to enjoy myself and I just go with the flow. But I do do some f*****g stupid stuff sometimes that I do regret. And I do regret [the Almiron comment] because I shouldn't have done it, but it’s in the past and if I ever played against him, I’d show him the most respect because that’s what he’s done in a situation where he probably didn’t have to.
“Fair play to him and I genuinely hope he does keep scoring, as long as those Newcastle fans stop messaging me."
He added: "Just speak to people I work with every day and I swear, if you go and ask Steve [Holland, England assistant] or Gareth [Southgate] or any of them ‘is there anyone in this squad who loves football more than me’...every day they have to say to me ‘come on Jack, get in now, get off the training pitch’ because I love playing football and training.
"I just enjoy it all. I have other stuff I enjoy doing as well, I’m an outgoing person and I don’t think I should just sit there and shy away from that.
"I like to go out and enjoy myself but I always know for a fact that when it comes to football, training and stuff, you'll find it hard to meet someone who loves football and loves having a ball at his feet as much as me."
