Jack Grealish has sent Mateo Kovacic a one-word message after his goal for Manchester City in their 5-1 win against Luton Town.
Kovacic’s goal gave City their much-needed two-goal cushion, as he scored his first goal for the club in the Premier League.
The 29-year-old had scored twice for Pep Guardiola’s men in the past, once against Urawa Red Diamonds in the FIFA Club World Cup and the second against Luton in the FA Cup.
On both occasions against Rob Edwards’ side, the Croatian international has managed to score an absolute belter.
In his side’s latest outing, the £30 million man got on the end of a pass from Julian Alvarez from a short corner and volleyed it into the top corner.
If the execution of the half-volley was not a difficult enough technique, Kovacic was also being closed down.
Grealish sends one-word message to Kovacic after City beat Luton
However, that did not stop the former Chelsea midfielder from scoring one of the best goals in his career.
Often, the former Dinamo Zagreb technician tries to take shots but fails to even hit the target, as his attempts tend to get blocked.
But that does not mean that Mateo Kovacic does not have a strike on him.
Even during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool in February 2022, Kovacic bagged an acrobatic volley from outside the box, which could be one of the best goals scored in the Premier League in the 2020s.
Yet, the ex-Real Madrid maestro has never been one to even pop up with important goals.
However, it seems he was ready to change that on Saturday.
As Mateo Kovacic scored a stunning strike for Manchester City, which proved to be crucial in their latest win against Luton, Jack Grealish commented on his post-match Instagram post.
“Brate”, he commented, which translates to “brother” in Croatian, followed by a fire emoji.
Mateo Kovacic deserves to be praised
Considering Luton did eventually score one goal, courtesy of Ross Barkley against Manchester City, one can understand why Jack Grealish is especially happy with Mateo Kovacic.
If not for Kovacic’s goal, perhaps the floodgates would not have opened and City would have found a way to draw the game.
Sure, the decorated midfielder’s goal was a thing of beauty.
But more importantly, it was decisive as Mateo Kovacic’s goal emerged in the 64 minute, before which the hosts were only winning 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
The strike alleviated the pressure off this City side, who spread their wings and mauled Luton from the point Kovacic got on the score sheet.