John Stones was born in Thurcroft, South Yorkshire, England, and came through the academy system at Barnsley, where he made his senior debut as a teenager before attracting widespread attention with his composed, ball-playing style at the back.
After his promising early displays, Everton signed Stones and gave him consistent Premier League experience, cementing his reputation as one of the more technically assured centre-backs of his generation. Manchester City then brought him to the club in 2016 for a fee reported at around £47.5 million, a significant investment that reflected the ambition of the project under Pep Guardiola.
At City, Stones has been a key part of one of the most decorated squads in English football history, contributing to multiple Premier League title wins and a historic UEFA Champions League triumph in the 2022–23 season. He also played an important role during the club's treble-winning campaign that same year.
A right-footed centre-back who is comfortable carrying the ball out from defence and playing through pressure, Stones suits the positional, possession-based system Guardiola demands. At Manchester City, he continues to feature as a senior defensive option, occasionally deployed in a hybrid midfield-defensive role.
Stones is also a senior England international, having earned his first cap in 2014, and he represented his country at multiple major tournaments including the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups and UEFA Euro 2020, where England reached the final.