The England international has had an eventful seven years at City, but always comes out fighting and is now playing a key role in their treble hunt
Manchester City fans have no shortage of idols at the moment, be it the insatiable Erling Haaland, long-time favourite Kevin De Bruyne or the reinvented Jack Grealish. But on Saturday, they were particularly pleased to see John Stones give them the lead against Leicester City with a scorching half volley from outside the area, and with his weaker left foot too.
As the defender ran over to the corner flag to celebrate and embrace Haaland, the fans began bellowing out "Jonny, Jonny Stones, Jonny, Jonny Stones" to the tune of Boney M's 'Daddy Cool'.
🏆 TOP STORY: Thiago Silva hits out at Chelsea owners📣 HAVE YOUR SAY: Who has been the biggest Chelsea flop this season?🚨 MUST READ: Gravenberch: Liverpool's Bellingham alternative?
The 28-year-old might not be the most glamorous name in City's squad, yet he is one of their best-loved players.
He is the third longest-serving member of the playing staff, behind only De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, lifting eight major trophies in his seven years at the club.
And he is hugely respected by Pep Guardiola, who has always leapt to his defence in times of trouble.
Getty ImagesA new lease of life
But an even bigger sign of how much Guardiola believes in Stones is the fact he has given him real responsibility to help reshape the City defence this season.
Stones has played across the backline before, filling in at right-back as well as playing his usual position in the middle of the back four, or in a back three.
But his ability to play as a holding midfielder alongside Rodri while tucking back into right-back when needed is what has given him a new lease of life in the team.
While Joao Cancelo was forced to move to Bayern Munich on loan and Kyle Walker openly told by Guardiola that he is not capable of playing in City's new structure, Stones is back in the fold and starting practically every game.
Since returning from a hamstring injury in early March, he has started six out of seven matches, only missing the FA Cup tie with Burnley. In the same period, Walker has started just twice.
AdvertisementPlaying like Busquets
Sometimes Stones plays as a more traditional right-back, albeit playing more inside than on the flank, as in the 1-0 win against Crystal Palace.
In other games, such as against Liverpool and Southampton, he has looked like Sergio Busquets, playing metronomic short passes to team-mates from advanced areas while seldom giving the ball away.
At St Mary's, he played 32 passes with a 91 percent success rate, the same as Rodri, albeit the Spaniard made 66 passes.
In the 4-1 demolition of Liverpool, Stones made 67 passes with an 96% success rate. By contrast, Fabinho made 26 passes with 85% accuracy, and Jordan Henderson made 44 with 91% accuracy.
Stones' crisp passing was key to City dominating Liverpool, and he was involved in their long, slow build-up for the third goal, making four passes before Ilkay Gundogan eventually knocked the ball into the net.
GettyPractice makes perfect
Stones has been asked to play in midfield before and it did not always come naturally to him, but it is now a different story, with the England international utterly at ease in the middle of the park.
“Our shape was completely different [in the past] and that’s why maybe he struggled a little bit more. Now he knows, he practised more, he knows more our routine is a little bit better and that’s why he can use it better,” Guardiola said earlier this month.
“At the same time, it’s a new position for him and he has to be able all the time to concentrate more than when you play as a central defender or other positions.
“When you see the game from behind it’s completely different to when you play in the middle and are surrounded. Some movement and patterns are a little bit more difficult that’s why I appreciate a lot what he has done.
“We saw some specific things with the ball, especially in the build-up. We were happy to have him but all that he has achieved here and with the national team belongs to him."
GettyShowing balls through adversity
It is worth examining that last line, "all he has achieved here". Guardiola is not just talking about trophies Stones has won, even though there have been a lot of those.
Throughout his City career, Stones has battled adversity and crises of confidence.
He was one of Guardiola's first signings in 2016 after rejecting a move from Everton to Chelsea the previous year. He was always known for his ability on the ball at Goodison Park, but Guardiola challenged him to take even more risks and play in a far higher line.
That resulted in a number of high-profile mistakes in a very difficult first year for Guardiola and Stones. City finished third in the Premier League, Guardiola's lowest-ever finish in 15 years as a manager. And for the first and last time, he failed to win a trophy.
Stones bore the brunt of a lot of criticism for City's failures, but Guardiola staunchly defended him.
In an unforgettable press conference in March 2017, the Catalan said: "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.
"Under pressure, the people criticise him, the people say he won’t play again. I am delighted to have John, with all his huge amount of mistakes. I love him! I love guys with this kind of personality because it’s not easy to play central defender with this manager. Not easy."