THEY are the two men firing their respective teams to Premier League glory.
Bukayo Saka, 21, has been instrumental in Arsenal title challenge and is a frontrunner for the PFA Player of the Year.
19Humble Bukayo Saka has become one of the Premier League’s favourite starsCredit: Instagram / @bukayosaka87
19Jack Grealish is already one of football’s most marketable starsCredit: Instagram / @jackgralish
19Fashion giants Gucci made Grealish a brand ambassador
Meanwhile, Jack Grealish, 27, has come of age at Manchester City following his £100million move from Aston Villa – inspiring his club to a winning streak that has seen them become favourites for the league title.
But off the pitch, the two are very different characters.
Clotheshorse Grealish is an ambassador for Gucci and, with his glam Wag Sasha Attwood, has crossed over to the celebrity pages.
Saka cuts a more humble figure, driven by religion and lives at home with his parents.
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Despite that, the two are firm friends when they meet up on England duty.
High-praise
Chalk and cheese they may be, Grealish has admitted a soft spot for Saka.
Talking to talkSPORT, the City midfielder told of his love for Saka when they asked who would make an ideal son-in-law.
Speaking about Saka, Grealish – without any hesitation – said: “You know what, mate? He’s the best, the best kid, honestly.
“I went up to his dad the other day and I said: ‘I love your son’ He’s a legend, honestly, he must be the nicest kid ever. He’s got a little bit of banter as well, he’s funny.”
Amusingly, James Maddison also chose Saka and added if he had a sister or a daughter and they said to him, “I’m going on a date with Jack Grealish’, I’d be like ‘nah, you’re not.”
Grealish would reveal more about his love affair for the winger in an interview with The Times before the Three Lions faced off against Ukraine last month.
He also spoke of a tussle they had in a game at the Emirates earlier this season.
Grealish said: “I’m playing for City on the wing, he’s playing for Arsenal on the wing and we’re both going for the Premier League.
“But that is another thing that the manager here at England has done so well. We feel like a group of team-mates that are together. Back at your club, you’re rivals but everyone just clicks here.
“He’s a great lad, Bukayo. In the game the other week, I went past someone and then me and him went shoulder to shoulder.
“I thought, ‘[the ref] has got to give it as a foul’, because I can’t have Bukayo saying that he bodied me. I pulled him up on that this morning and he said it was never a foul.”
19Off the pitch, Saka and Grealish have become firm friendsCredit: Getty
19On the pitch, Grealish and Saka are fierce title rivalsCredit: GettySalaries
When Grealish signed for Man City in 2021 for a British record transfer fee, the move made him one of the Premier League’s highest-earners.
His salary is reported to be in the region of £300,000-per-week and, with sponsorships on top of that, he earns a packet.
Last month, Grealish signed a mega boot deal with Puma – the biggest in English football history, according to reports.
Grealish is already an ambassador of brands such as Gucci, Bose headphones and Airway.
Saka is on the brink of signing a new deal at the Emirates that would put him on a parity with Grealish on £300,000-per-week.
Currently, he is believed to make £70,000-per-week, which pales into insignificance to what some of his team-mates are paid.
New Balance, though, look after Saka well. His deal with them, for boots and to model leisure wear, is claimed to be worth £1.8m.
19Bukayo Saka signed a £70k-per-week contract extension in 2020 – but is negotiating a new dealCredit: Getty
19Grealish signed for Man City in a British record transfer fee and earns £300k-per-weekCredit: Getty
19Saka has a sponsorship deal with New Balance
19Grealish recently signed the biggest boot deal in British football history with PumaHomes
Back in 2021, Saka swapped the modest home he grew up in with his Nigerian parents – just five miles from Wembley – for a swanky £2.3m pad in Hertfordshire.
Not much is known about the property, other than it has a spa and walk-in wardrobes.
Loyal to his mum and dad, he moved his family in straight away to be close to him.
Grealish paid a reported £6m for a stunning mansion in the North West last year.
Spanning over 20 acres of land, the mansion has a helicopter pad, tennis court, golf course, fishing lake, and enough space for a full-size football pitch.
On top of that, the seven bedroom home has a massive swimming pool, leisure suite, gym, and wine cellar.
19Saka reportedly splashed £2.3m on a stunning Hertfordshire mansionCredit: Instagram / @bukayosaka87
19Jack Grealish lives in a amazing £6m home in the North WestCredit: Instagram / @jackgralishThis is my church
While Grealish enjoys the high-life, partying in Ibiza with the likes of Wayne Lineker and taking in boys’ trips to Las Vegas, Saka is more modest with how he spends his money.
The Gunners star has never spoken about cars he has owned and flaunted wealth.
Instead, he is a regular church goer. He attended The Edward Betham Church of England Primary School, a school that preaches strong Christian beliefs.
Later, he gained As and A*s in his GCSEs.
As he grew up, he attended The Kingsborough Centre, previously known as Kingsborough Family Church, with his parents.
Even on Instagram he refers to himself as ‘God’s Child’. While on England duty, he confirmed he reads the Bible every night.
He doesn’t drink and leads a clean lifestyle, with his only bad habit – playing FIFA too long.
For Grealish, God is a DJ. He told BT Sport last year he was learning how to spin the decks.
“I like every type of music. I’m actually trying to learn to DJ at the moment. Yeah, ‘DJ Grealo’,” he joked.
“I’m awful but everything takes time. I’m trying to learn Spanish as well. I want to learn some stuff outside of football, have a hobby and stuff.”
19Grealish parties with Wayne Lineker in Ibiza
19Grealish is currently learning how to DJ
19Deeply religious Saka, pictured with Stormzy, is hardly the party typeCredit: Instagram / @bukayosaka87
19Playing FIFA is Saka’s biggest viceCredit: Instagram / @bukayosaka87Wags
Since he was an up-and-coming star at Villa, Grealish has been involved with Sasha Attwood.
Sasha’s profile rocketed when he signed for Man City for £100m and became an England hero.
The 26-year-old is a model and influencer, who has starred in huge ad campaigns.
Most recently, she scored a massive deal with online fashion retailer boohoo.
And she was dropping a massive hint to Jack about her future – modelling a range of maternity wear.
Saka is believed to be in a relationship with Tolami Benson, who at 22 is one year old than her footballer beau.
The pair are thought to have started dating in late 2020 but have kept their relationship secret until recently.
They do not share pictures of them together, and don’t even follow each other on social media.
However, she was spotted alongside Three Lions Wags in Qatar for last year’s World Cup.
Sasha Attwood is Grealish’s long-term girlfriend
Attwood is a regular fixture at England games on the celebrity circuit
Tolami Benson is Bukayo Saka’s rumoured girlfriend
19Benson was spotted cheering Saka on at the World Cup in Qatar
Their romance was later uncovered by fans in February, when the pair shared individual photos of themselves on a yacht in Dubai.
However, neither are yet to actually confirm their relationship.
Source: thesun.co.uk
