The sound at Wembley, enveloped in ecstasy, sat on the skin. The exhilaration and much-needed abandon of a 45,000-strong crowd, all England sans the tiniest section adorned with Germany flags, had three particular high notes.
Two of those were prompted by the goalscorers Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, with the other belonging to the introduction of the player who helped carve those openings.
If it hadn’t already been obvious before Tuesday night, via the opinions of pundits and football Twitter at large, the vibey song by The Manor in his honour, or the hot line by Stormzy in a remix of his song “Sore”, who also plumped for his shirt, Jack Grealish is the man the people want to see.
More than that, he is the man that represents hope, excitement, freedom, enjoyment.
As “Jack Grealish” was announced over the tannoy on 69 minutes to replace Bukayo Saka, England’s leading light of the first half, Wembley erupted.
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“I just don’t get it,” a voice in the press box muttered. “He’s hardly even played for England. Why is everyone so mad about him?”
Grealish symbolises possibilities and they were alive once he came on – an awfully tense match was immediately enlivened.
He only had seven touches and six passes, but two of those ended in goals, which is precisely why he is so adored.
Even the anti-fun machine Roy Keane is hooked in, desperate for a greater injection of Grealish.
The swell of support to see him be given greater minutes ultimately speaks to how we crave the game to be played: stylishly aggressive and progressive with the intent to constantly make things happen.
As he has illustrated for an age in the colours of Aston Villa, Grealish is an elite-level attacker with creative metrics to rival – and surpass – the headline names in Europe.
Manchester City’s willingness to break the £100m-barrier to secure his game-changing ability is no great shock: the super clubs were always going to circle.
The myth about him being an individualist has been dismantled, replaced by the reality of the 25-year-old being a supreme individual that can unlock the potential of the collective.
England have navigated to a quarter-final through a risk-averse approach, but the verve of Raheem Sterling, Saka and Grealish has got them over the line in tight situations.
The audience are not going to stop calling for and crossing fingers that the latter is included in the starting line-up.
Who doesn’t want possibilities, hope, excitement, freedom and enjoyment?
Why would you not want more Grealish?
