Stones names comeback from injury as one of his 'greatest achievements' ahead of England's World Cup opener

John Stones has described his ability to keep returning from serious injuries as one of his “greatest achievements”, as the former Manchester City defender prepares to feature for England at a sixth major tournament when they face Croatia in their World Cup opener on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old was restricted to 18 appearances for City last season and revealed in October that the accumulation of setbacks had led him to consider retiring from football altogether. A hamstring injury in February cut short his 2024-25 campaign, while an earlier foot problem had limited him to just 11 Premier League appearances. He also missed two months of the 2025-26 season with a thigh issue and sat out England’s March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan with a calf problem.

“It was a difficult period when I said that and I hope I don’t get to that again,” Stones told the BBC. “We can all compare ourselves to different players, different eras and think about how their journey was or how it could have been different — and I am a culprit of that. ‘Why are these things happening to me? It doesn’t happen to other people.’”

“I really had to dig deep and I am proud of myself for being so mentally strong throughout and coming out the other end of those scenarios. I feel like one of my greatest achievements is to keep coming back from those setbacks, no matter how big they are, and being on top form and going back into games and playing at such a high level.”

Despite the injury concerns, England manager Thomas Tuchel retained his faith in Stones, selecting him in the squad for this summer’s tournament. The centre-back started alongside Ezri Konsa — displacing City teammate Marc Guehi — in England’s pre-tournament friendly against Costa Rica and is in contention for a starting berth against Croatia.

Stones, who made his senior England debut in a friendly win against Peru in 2014 and has previously appeared at five major tournaments, is poised to earn his 90th international cap. The former Barnsley and Everton defender announced in April that he would be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season after a trophy-laden spell at the club.