John Stones has won a string of titles and silverware at Manchester City. However, the England defender has picked up his fair share of critics, too.

John Stones is an English centre-back who plays for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team.

Stones began his career at Championship side Barnsley before transferring to Everton in 2013. He joined Manchester City three years later.

Stones has become a crucial component of Pep Guardiola's defence, creating a solid partnership with Ruben Dias which allowed City to dominate the 2020/21 campaign.

Debut for Barnsley

Stones joined Barnsley's Youth Academy in 2001 and went on to sign a professional contract with the club in 2011.

The defender made his first-team debut in 2012, a 4-0 Championship defeat to Reading. In the same year Stones would score his first and only goal for Barnsley, equalising in a 4-3 League Cup win over Rochdale.

Premier League appearance for Everton

Stones' impressive introduction at the Toffees earning him a new contract which would keep the Englishman at the club until 2019. The defender was also shortlisted for the 2014 Golden Boy Award.

Stones scord his first goal for the Toffees in a 3-0 win over Manchester United in April 2015, heading in his side's second.

Stones was the subject of a huge amount of interest from Chelsea who submitted three bids for the defender from July to August 2015. He put in a request to leave Goodison Park but it was rejected.

However, it wouldn't be long before he found a way out.

Glory in Manchester

In August 2016, John Stones joined Manchester City for a fee of £47.5million, signing a six-year deal with the Cityzens. It made him the second most expensive defender in history.

He made his City debut in Pep Guardiola's managerial debut for the club, a 2-1 home win against Sunderland, partnering with the veteran Aleksandar Kolarov.

Stones scored his first City goal in 5-0 thrashing of West Ham in the FA Cup third round in January 2017.

The Englishman scored again in February as the Cityzens beat Monaco 5-3 in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

Stones was part of the City squad that won the Premier League back-to-back, the EFL Cup in 2018, as well as the FA Cup in 2019.

There were consistent rumours, however, that Guardiola was looking to sell the defender, who was still prone to high-profile mistakes for club and country.

Nevertheless, Stones enjoyed something of a renaissance in the 2020/21 as City went on to regain the title from Liverpool. The defender was involved in 14 league clean sheets, forming an impressive partnership with Portuguese signing Ruben Dias and making the PFA Team of the Year.

Stones added the League Cup winner's medal to his Premier League title, with his form resulting in a recall to Gareth Southgate's England starting line-up.

International career

Stones made his England under-21 debut in August 2013, playing the full 90 minutes in a 6-0 win over Scotland.

Stones was picked for England's Euro 2016 squad but did not play. However in 2018, Stones was picked for Gareth Southgate's 2018 World Cup squad, scoring two goals against Panama in a 6-1 group stage win.

The Englishman is also a member of Southgate's Euro 2020 squad and played every game en route to the final, forming part of a defence that conceded only one goal in England's opening six games.

Personal life

Stones was born in Barnsley, to parents Janet and Peter Stones. Stones has a daughter with ex-partner Millie Savage.

Net worth

Stones' net worth is reported to be £40million.