John Stones confirms Manchester City exit as ‘dream smashed out of the park’
John Stones has confirmed his Manchester City departure after a decade at the Etihad Stadium, with the 31-year-old centre-back set to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season
A Manchester City icon will be leaving the club at the end of the season (Image: Justin Setterfield, Getty Images)
John Stones has confirmed his departure from Manchester City in a statement following a decade at the club. The 31-year-old defender will bid farewell to the Blues when his deal runs out at the end of this campaign.
City boss Pep Guardiola revealed last week there had been no resolution on Stones’ future, but his exit has now been made official, concluding a silverware-packed stint at the Etihad Stadium.
Stones arrived at City from Everton in 2016, subsequently racking up 292 outings for the club. During his tenure at the Etihad, Stones has claimed six Premier League crowns – a haul he will be hoping to extend to seven in the forthcoming weeks – the Champions League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, two FA Cups and five Carabao Cups.
“It’s been my home for the past ten years and it will be my home for the rest of my life. it’s been a rollercoaster in many ways,” he said in an emotional farewell, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“I came as a kid and now leaving as a man becoming a father a husband and on the pitch a very fulfilled player in living all of my dreams out and lifting all the things that I came here to achieve. At the start of my career I never would have thought I’d be in this position – first to achieve everything but to have and love the bond with everyone.
“Every dream has been smashed out of the park. From day one, as soon as I came I felt at home and I felt loved. I can only relate it to me as a little kid. If you’d said to me that I’d be playing at City winning everything, the fans are signing your name and your song throughout the stadium to wherever you go in the world, I don’t think I would have believed them.
“The fans mean everything to me. I hope I’ve made them proud, I hope that they can relate to me as a person and as a player with how I’ve played, how I’ve represented the club and will do for the rest of my life.
“All the setbacks that you have and the good things that you have came into light in that [Champions League final] game or after that game, it made it worthwhile what you have to go through that people don’t necessarily see and to celebrate and do it in the fashion that we did with all my family and friends was incredible.
“The manager, how I could describe this ten years with him, I don’t think it would have been anywhere as successful without him. The first time that I met him, I left and knew that it was what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be playing under the best manager in the world.
“I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to spend so long with him, win everything with him and share and have so many incredible moments together. I feel very lucky and grateful for what he’s done for me. I’ve got endless memories with everyone and ones that I’ll cherish forever.
“I’ve been so lucky to be in every dressing room with incredible people and I’m so glad I’ve been able to do it with all of them. It will always be my home and I’m thankful from the bottom of my heart. This is my team forever and always will be and I don’t have the words to say what I feel and how much I love everything about it.”
One of Stones’ most memorable displays for City arrived in the 2023 Champions League final triumph over Inter Milan, while his goal line clearance against Liverpool turned out to be the campaign-defining moment in the 2018/19 season as City went on to edge their rivals to the crown.
News of Stones’ exit arrives soon after skipper Bernardo Silva announced he too would be departing the Etihad this summer. Both will receive the farewell they merit, having been instrumental figures during the most successful era in the club’s history.
