da poker： Manchester City's do-it-all defender explains how he fought his way back into the team after being on the fringes of the squad three years ago.

da esoccer bet： It is no exaggeration to say that John Stones is an idol for Manchester City fans. Go to any game and the chant 'Jonny, Jonny Stones' is heard more than any other. He is serenaded even more than Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne – and even Pep Guardiola.

But he is more than just a cult hero. He is one of the most important players in the team, part-defender, part-midfielder, occasional scorer of jaw-dropping goals. He bossed the midfield against Liverpool and had the run of Luka Modric when City mauled Real Madrid. He was impeccable against Bayern Munich.

While he has been a bit-part player in some of City's triumphs across his seven years with the club, he has been an integral part of the Premier League title and FA Cup win.

And he is certain to start in Saturday's Champions League final against Inter Milan. Victory in Istanbul would be all the more sweeter for Stones, given that only three years ago he sunk to the lowest point of his career.

Getty'I looked into every detail'

In the 2019/20 season he was essentially a fringe player, even after Vincent Kompany had left the club. He started only 12 league games, barely featured in the domestic cups and made just a solitary appearance, as a substitute, in the Champions League.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Champions League final, Stones is asked to go back to that dark era. It might be an uncomfortable question to kick off a discussion, but he is happy to talk about it.

"It was probably one of the hardest times in my career," he begins. "I literally went back to firstly looking at myself, being super critical of myself and what I could do better on the football pitch, and then looking into every fine detail, down to food, what food, training, what training, what extras."

He would stay at City's training ground long after training had finished and then continue to focus on specific aspects of his game at home before going to bed.

It was about "finding these small margins, put them all together to kind of break where I was at after coming back to playing" he adds. "Big learning curve for me and maybe who I am today."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesPutting a 'positive spin' on being left out

Stones played no part in the last-16 tie against Real Madrid and was an unused substitute in the quarter-final defeat to Lyon in Lisbon, losing his place to the teenage Eric Garcia.

That might have seemed like the nadir but he says being left out for any game hurt. The longer you spend out of a team, the harder it feels to fight your way back in, especially in a squad as competitive as City's.

"I think it’s not just that game. I think any game that you don't play, or feel maybe that you should be playing, every player feels like that when they don't play, especially here because we've got an incredible team, it's always difficult," Stones says.

"I really do try and put a positive spin on that and use that to motivate me and make sure that I give the manager a headache to make his team selection."

Getty Images'I never thought about leaving'

Not for the first time, Stones was linked with a move away from City, his career under Guardiola written off. Speculation grew about a return to Everton.

But according to Stones, he never seriously considered leaving. He truly believed City was his level, and it was just about returning to the best version of himself.

"No, I never thought about that. I think as soon as you accept that or have that mindset then you have killed yourself," he says. "So no, I always wanted to stay, I have stayed and I absolutely love it.

"I wanted to prove to myself, I didn’t say to anyone ‘It was because I want to prove to you’. I think, in anything, you have to prove to yourself first and foremost that you deserve to be here, you are good enough to be here, and what you bring to the team.

"Everyone's so unique here and I feel that's why we've been so successful."

Getty Being Guardiola's project

Unique is an apt word to describe Stones. Few English players have shown the ability and confidence he has on the ball, and fewer still would continue to keep playing out from the back despite the many mistakes he made in his early days with City, when they ended their first season under Guardiola without a trophy.

The coach made an impassioned defence of Stones in an unforgettable press conference in 2017, when he told a press conference: "John Stones has more personality than all of us together in this room. More balls than anyone here, guys! I like that kind of player, I love him."

Guardiola made Stones his new project this season, first playing him as an inside right-back, dropping Kyle Walker in the process, and then giving him licence to roam into midfield, giving extra support to Rodri and also playing a big role in City's attacking play.