John Stones

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, equalising before half time 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 contract 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. Stones 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 away to Stoke City 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 between 10 and 14 weeks. Despite the injury, Stones was listed among the…

Youth

Stones was named in manager Peter Taylor's 21-man squad for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in May 2013. He made his England U20 debut on 16 June, in a 3–0 win in a warm-up game against Uruguay. He made his under-21s debut against Scotland on 13 August 2013, playing the entire 90 minutes of a 6–0 win for England at Bramall Lane.

Senior

2014–2015: Beginnings

Stones was named as a standby player for England's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad, but was not included in the final squad. 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. On 3 September 2014, Stones made his first England start in a friendly against Norway at Wembley Stadium. Five days later, in England's first match of UEFA Euro 2016 qualification, Stones made his competitive debut in a 2–0 victory away to Switzerland at St. Jakob-Park, Basel.

2016–2019: First Euro, FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Nations League

Stones was selected in Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad for Euro 2016 but did not play any of England's four games in the tournament. He was named in the 23-man England squad for the 2018 World Cup. On 24 June, Stones scored his first two international goals in a 6–1 victory over Panama during their second group stage match of the tournament. He became the first Manchester City player to score for England at a World Cup finals since Trevor Francis in 1982. At the 2019 UEFA Nations…

Known for his technical ability and physical presence, Stones is known for being a ball-playing centre-back. Teammates and coaches have praised his composure with the ball, defensive skills, range of passing, and versatility and vision. Joleon Lescott has said of his ability: "John can do things most defenders can't – a little feign here and there, maybe a turn to get out of trouble when he needs to – and that's what is going to set him apart from others – the ability to do things others can't. He'll do his job and defend well, but there will be moments when he does something special and you'll just go 'ah, that's why he's regarded as the best.' He doesn't seem to get fazed by anything and always seems calm and he never hides". Former Manchester City and England teammate Kyle Walker added: "You don't quite appreciate him until you are playing alongside him. He rarely gets beat, he is great on the ball and he is very calm and level-headed." Stones developed his ball-playing style early in his career at Barnsley with many crediting Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola for his later development. During the 2022–23 season, Stones began to play what was described as "a hybrid role: defending in the back four when City don't have the ball, and joining Rodri as a double pivot in front of City's back three when they are in possession". Stones' range of passing has led to comparisons to Rio Ferdinand, Gerard Piqué, Jérôme Boateng, Franz Beckenbauer, and Guardiola himself. Stones is…

John Stones was born on 28 May 1994 in Barnsley, a town in the county of South Yorkshire in England, to parents Janet and Peter Stones. He grew up in Thurlstone and attended Penistone Grammar School.