John Stones

Biography

John Stones (born 28 May 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a right-back.

Stones began his career with Barnsley, making his first-team debut in the Championship in March 2012 as a 17-year-old.

He joined Premier League club Everton for around £3 million in January 2013 and amassed 95 appearances over four seasons.

In August 2016, he signed an initial £47.5 million for Manchester City with add-ons. He won the Premier League and EFL Cup in 2018 and 2019, and the FA Cup in 2019 as well.

Stones made his senior debut for England in May 2014 after previously being capped by England youth teams at under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels.

He was chosen in England’s squads for UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2020, and the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Club career

Barnsley

Stones came through the Barnsley youth academy to sign a professional contract in December 2011. He made his first-team debut in the Championship on 17 March 2012, in a 4–0 defeat to Reading at Oakwell, replacing Scott Wiseman after 52 minutes.

He scored his only goal for Barnsley on his first start, equalizing before halftime in a League Cup first-round match away to Rochdale on 11 August 2012, which resulted in a 4–3 victory after extra time. A week later, he made his first league start in a 1–0 victory against Middlesbrough.

Everton

Stones signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with Everton on 31 January 2013 for a transfer fee reported to be in the region of £3 million. He was an unused substitute for three Premier League matches that season, beginning on 10 February in a 2–0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

He made his debut for Everton against Stevenage in the League Cup second round on 28 August 2013, a 2–1 win after extra time at Goodison Park. He made his league debut as a late substitute for Steven Naismith in a 1–0 home win over Chelsea on 14 September 2013.

He started his first Premier League game for Everton in a 1–1 draw against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on 1 January 2014. On 7 August 2014, Stones signed a new five-year contract to keep him with Everton until 2019. He suffered an ankle injury against Manchester United on 5 October, ruling him out for about 10 to 14 weeks.

Despite the injury, Stones was listed among the Golden Boy 2014 Award nominees alongside fellow Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu and fellow England internationals Calum Chambers, Luke Shaw and eventual winner Raheem Sterling.

John Stones of Everton in action during the pre-season friendly match between Everton and Espanyol at Goodison Park.

Stones was sent off in Everton’s 4–1 away win at Young Boys in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League on 19 February 2015 for conceding a penalty kick with a foul on Guillaume Hoarau, who went on to miss the spot-kick. He scored his first goal for Everton in a 3–0 home win against Manchester United on 26 April 2015, heading in the team’s second goal of the game.

In July and August 2015, Stones was reportedly the subject of three bids from Chelsea – of £20 million, £26 million and £30 million – all of which were rejected by Everton. Stones was reported to have handed in a request to leave Everton, but this was also refused. On 28 December, Stones fouled Stoke City’s Marko Arnautović in added time at the end of a home match, conceding a penalty from which the same player scored the winning goal in a 4–3 victory.

Manchester City

On 9 August 2016, Manchester City completed the signing of Stones for £47.5 million on a six-year deal with a potential extra £2.5 million in add-ons, making him the world’s second most expensive defender in history, behind David Luiz.

The announcement followed shortly after the leaking of his arrival, having been included in City’s Champions League play-off round squad registration list, which UEFA had published on their website prior to confirmation of the move.

Through a 15% sell-on clause, Barnsley received £6.78 million from Stones’ transfer to Manchester City, an amount more significant than any transfer fee they had received in their history.

Early Goals and Criticism

Stones made his debut for City four days later as they began the new season with a 2–1 home win over Sunderland, partnering Aleksandar Kolarov in Pep Guardiola’s first competitive game in charge. On 6 January 2017, he scored his first goal for the Citizens, heading the last goal of a 5–0 win over West Ham United at London Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup.

He scored again on 21 February to give them the lead in a 5–3 comeback win over Monaco in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. However, after losing the tie on away goals, he spoke of his disappointment with the team’s defence.

Stones was subject to criticism from the media for his performances over the season. In interviews at the end of the season, he said that he was disappointed to have not won any trophies and was keen to improve.

Champions League Heroics

On 13 September 2017, Stones scored twice in a 4–0 Champions League group win away to Feyenoord, including a second-minute header that was City’s fastest goal in the competition’s history. He added another header on 1 November in a 4–2 win at Napoli, putting his team into the last 16 with two games remaining.

Injuries and Rumors

Seventeen days later, he withdrew after half an hour of the match away to Leicester City with a hamstring injury that ruled him out for the next six weeks. Stones suffered another injury in March 2018 while on international duty, and in April, Guardiola strongly denied press rumours that he was looking to sell the defender.

League Cup Semi-Finals

On 3 January 2019, in City’s 2–1 victory over Liverpool, Stones made a crucial goal-line clearance, which would end up being the decider in City’s victory over Liverpool in the Premier League title race. 

On 6 January 2021, Stones scored the opening goal in a 0–2 away win at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the League Cup semi-final. He was named Man of the Match and was praised by Pep Guardiola after an impressive streak of performances. One day later, Stones was announced as the Manchester City Player of the Month for December 2020. His performances earned him a place in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2020-21 season. 

The Treble and Champions League Triumph

He made a so-called treble with his club, winning the EPL, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League in 2023. On 17 May 2023, Stones was instrumental in Manchester City destroying Real Madrid 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Jamie Jackson of the Guardian described him as our time’s ‘Franz Beckenbauer’. On 20 May, Stones won the Premier League. On 3 June, he won the FA Cup final in a Manchester derby. Finally, Stones and the club lifted a UEFA Champions League trophy, beating Inter Milan on 10 June 2023. He was praised for his performance in the final and became Man of the Match in a BBC Sport poll.

Analysts acknowledged Stones as one of the key players in Manchester City’s continental triple. Because of his achievements, he was also included in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year.

John Stones with Marcelo Brozovic during the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 final match between Manchester City and Inter Milan

2023–Present

Prior to the 2023–24 season, Stones sustained a muscle injury during. Stones did not play in the 2023 UEFA Super Cup final, which City won on August 16, 2023, over Sevilla 5–4 in a penalty shootout following a 1–1 draw in extra time.

His existing contract with Manchester City is valid until the summer of 2026. 

National career

In May 2013, Stones was named in Peter Taylor’s England U20 World Cup squad. He made his England U20 debut on 16 June, in a 3–0 win in a warm-up game against Uruguay. During the same year, on 13 August, he made his first under-21s appearance against Scotland, playing the entire 90 minutes of a 6–0 win for England at Bramall Lane. 

England Debut and Early Success

He was named in the 23-man England squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 24 June, Stones scored his first two international goals in a 6–1 victory over Panama during their second group-stage tournament match. He became the first Manchester City player to score for England at a World Cup finals since Trevor Francis in 1982. 

John Stones at the UEFA Nations League finals against Netherlands, 2019.

Unexpected Moment at the 2019 Nations League Finals

A mistake by Stones in the semi-final matchup with the Netherlands at the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals in Portugal allowed Memphis Depay to take possession in extra time. It resulted in one of the goals that helped the Netherlands overcome England 3-1. Stones’ error was attributed to exhaustion, according to manager Gareth Southgate, who substituted him from the third-place match against Switzerland.

Stones was named in England’s squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He has been a key player for his national team in England’s last three major international tournaments. He started all five of England’s games in the World Cup in 2022, playing a crucial role in defence.