Defender has continued because he has the mentality to never give up
Manchester City defender John Stones has admitted he came close to retiring from football last season after a series of injuries left him mentally and physically exhausted.
The 31-year-old said the constant rehabilitation followed by setbacks took a heavy toll on him.
“Things were tough to the point where I thought about stopping,” Stones said.
“I didn’t want to do it but I had had enough of being so professional and trying to do everything right in my power, to then keep breaking down and not having the answers. It was a very difficult place to be in.”
The England international endured a difficult campaign in 2024-25. He managed just 20 appearances in all competitions, 13 of them starts, and missed nearly 30 matches due to recurring hamstring and foot problems.
In comparison, he made 34 appearances in City’s treble-winning season of 2022-23, 31 of them starts. That season he was a key player in Guardiola’s system, often playing a hybrid defence-midfield role.
However, Stones admitted his thoughts of retirement came in the moments of despair and he didn’t think “deep down” he could have gone through with it.
“I said years ago when City wanted me to have a new challenge, I said ‘I am going to fight’. That’s all I have known since I was a kid, why should I stop that now?
“So yes, there is that fight in me and that winning mentality that doesn’t want to stop.”
