John Stones (born 28 May 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team.

[27] 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.

[34][35][36][37] 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.

[39] 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.

[41] 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,[42] but after losing the tie on away goals he spoke of his disappointment with the team's defending.

[45][46] 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.

[49] 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.

He was named Man of the Match and was heavily praised by manager Pep Guardiola after an impressive streak of performances alongside Rúben Dias in defence.

[64] On 17 May 2023, Stones was a standout performer as Manchester City beat Real Madrid 4–0 at the Etihad Stadium in the second leg of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, being described by Jamie Jackson of The Guardian as being in "Franz Beckenbauer mode".

[68] On 10 June 2023, Stones was in the starting line-up for the 2023 UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul, which City went on to win 1–0 for their maiden European Cup.

[69] Stones was widely praised for his performance in the final[70][71] and was named as man of the match by Manchester Evening News and by users of BBC Sport.

[78] On 16 August 2023, Stones was an unused substitute as City won the 2023 UEFA Super Cup after beating Sevilla 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 extra-time draw.

Stones made his England debut on 30 May in a 3–0 friendly win over Peru at Wembley, replacing Everton teammate Leighton Baines for the final 15 minutes.

[90] At the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals in Portugal, Stones made an error in the semi-final against the Netherlands, when he gave away possession to Memphis Depay in extra time, leading to one of the goals that defeated England 3–1.

[95] Stones has been a key player for his national team in England's last three major international tournaments, forming a solid defensive partnership with Manchester United defender captain Harry Maguire.

[99] He went on to play the full match against Serbia, partnering Marc Guéhi in central defence as England kept a clean sheet and won 1–0 in Gelsenkirchen.

[100] On 9 October 2024, interim manager Lee Carsley announced that Stones would captain England for the first time for an upcoming UEFA Nations League home tie against Greece.

[106] Stones' range of passing has led to comparisons to Rio Ferdinand, Gerard Piqué, Jérôme Boateng, Pep Guardiola and Franz Beckenbauer.