Although Cesar Azpilicueta has now left Chelsea and instead plays for Atletico Madrid, he managed to keep his rivalry with Jack Grealish alive when the two clashed in a recent preseason friendly.
What happened between Man City and Atletico Madrid?
As Manchester City continue their preparations for the upcoming Premier League season, they took on the Spanish giants recently at the Seoul World Cup Stadium and played out a fiercely contested encounter.
In the end, Atletico claimed the win thanks to two second-half goals from Memphis Depay and Yannick Carrasco. Indeed, that was enough to seal a 2-1 victory despite Ruben Dias netting a consolation late on in the match.
Friendlies such as these are usually mainly about building up fitness and getting to grips with new tactical ideas, as well as bedding in new summer signings.
Well, Azpilicueta is a fresh arrival for Diego Simeone and co, and he appeared very keen to give his new set of fans a glimpse of what he’s all about as he spent the game snapping at Grealish’s heels and trying to provoke the Englishman.
It may have helped Atleti get the win, although as per the player ratings in the Manchester Evening News, Grealish was a key player for City, earning a team-high eight out of ten score.
Journalist Richard Fay remarked of the winger: “A menace against the opposition defence and drew a yellow card well [from Azpilicueta].”
In light of the duel between the duo, however, TikTok user @mathewsfootball (via @StopThatCFC) made a compilation online of all the times the pair have clashed over the years and it makes for quite some viewing – as you can see below.
Azpilicueta vs Grealish 👊🼠pic.twitter.com/sYbS1Nea9Z— Stop That CFC (@StopThatCFC) August 4, 2023
Fans online reacted to the content with much glee, here are some of the best comments we could find on social media…
Why does Cesar Azpilicueta have beef with Jack Grealish?
The duo notably clashed before, back in November 2022 when Man City knocked Chelsea out of the Carabao Cup. The heated incident was recalled by football.london writer Scott Trotter.
The journalist explained: “With Chelsea two goals down and their chance of getting back into the game looking slim, it would have been easy for the game to simply peter out. Not on Cesar Azpilicueta’s watch.
“The Blues’ captain, who spent time playing as a wing-back as Ruben Loftus-Cheek settled into the back three late on, showed some attacking intent and also a bit of grit. Jack Grealish felt every bit of it.
“As the ball was played into the feet of the Man City star, Azpilicueta went straight through the back of him in a rough challenge. Play was waved on for the minute as the home side’s attack continued and as Azpilicueta tracked back, Grealish was sure to give him a nudge in return for his indiscretion.
“The Spaniard did not take too kindly to that as the pair came together, chests out and anger in their eyes.”
While Grealish has also drawn the ire of the Atletico Madrid defence before too. Indeed, when the teams met in the Champions League, also in 2022, the England international had his hair pulled again by Atletico players and even posted pictures on his Instagram account (via Marca) of showing Luis Suarez and Stefan Savic pulling his hair in the first and return leg, respectively.
With that history in mind, Azpilicueta’s willingness to continue his beef with Grealish will likely be appreciated by fans of the Spanish club…
