Manchester City centre back John Stones admits he considered retiring last season out of frustration towards his injury struggles.
Stones is no stranger to fitness issues, but the 2024–25 campaign proved to be the worst of his career when it came to injuries. Four seperate issues saw him miss a total of 32 matches and limited him to just six Premier League starts.
Across the season, Stones failed to appear in four consecutive games, with fresh issues quickly sending him back to the sidelines on a number of occasions, and the frustrations grew to a point that the 31-year-old considered bringing his career to a close.
“Last season was tough for me, to the point where I thought about stopping,” Stones told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I didn’t want to do it. 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.”
Stones’s emotions stemmed from a lengthy battle with injuries. Since his breakthrough with Everton in 2012, he has missed a total of 137 matches across all competitions, with those absences spread out across no fewer than 22 different issues.
John Stones’ Minutes per Premier League Season at Man City
* Current season
Not since his first season with City in 2016–17 has Stones reached 2,000 minutes across a single Premier League season, while his total of 27 appearances in the competition that year remains his highest at City.
“There comes a point where you don’t know why it happens and it is even harder when you put in so much effort, or you are ultra professional, to be able to play and be available,” he added. “When that time comes and something happens, it would be easier to say, ‘Well I didn’t do X, Y and Z, that’s why,’ but when you do it, it’s then mentally challenging. Hopefully I don’t go back to that place.”
Reflecting on his issues last season, Stones continued: “My emotions were high. I wasn’t thinking straight. I don’t think deep down I would have ever done it [retired].
“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.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ’Had Enough’—Man City Star Gets Emotional Discussing Injury Turmoil.
