John Stones has delivered a heartfelt farewell to Manchester City supporters after his final appearance for the club in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.
The outgoing centre-back addressed the fans on the pitch after the final whistle in front of a packed Etihad Stadium.
What happened?
Stones departs having won 20 major honours across a decade in sky blue, including the UEFA Champions League title in 2023 and six Premier League titles.
His final game came alongside fellow departures Bernardo Silva and manager Pep Guardiola.
Why it matters for John Stones
Stones described his time at City as “an absolute privilege”, leaving after 10 years with a host of clubs understood to be tracking his availability as a free agent this summer.
The England international admitted that “when you love somewhere, you don’t want it to end” in an emotional address.
What comes next?
Addressing supporters on the Etihad Stadium pitch, a teary Stones struggled to contain his emotion as he attempted to put into words what a decade in Manchester has meant to him.
“I can’t express the gratitude that I feel, to feel the love you’ve all given me over 10 years. It’s been a dream come true,” he said.
From the bottom of my heart, and my family’s hearts, thank you so much, Stones added.
It’s been an honour to wear the shirt in front of you guys, to play for this club: an absolute privilege.
This will always be my home and I look forward to watching the games from the stands with you.
Thank you so much for all the memories and I hope we made everyone’s dreams come true, Stones said.
The promise to watch future games from the stands is a touching one – and entirely consistent with what Stones has said throughout the season about his love for the club.
Speaking to Sky Sports after leaving the pitch, Stones reflected on the strange, bittersweet feeling of a farewell he had known was coming for months but had never quite been able to prepare for.
I really wanted to try and enjoy every moment of it, and it’s a bit surreal because you don’t expect this when you join the club, to feel the love, support – it’s difficult.
When you love somewhere, you don’t want it to end, and things in life come to an end, Stones added.
I feel really lucky and honoured to have played for this club, and to have represented it in the way that we did and what we did on the pitch, off the pitch, the friends we made, the memories we made – it all combines into one and it comes out today.
The simplicity of “things in life come to an end” carries the quiet sadness of someone who knows they are leaving a part of their life behind.
And so, John Stones will live in the memory of Manchester City fans forever, as the Barnsley Beckenbauer to hybrid hero of Istanbul.