San Nicola [Italy], August 16 (ANI): England star John Stones wasted no time on his Inter Milan debut, netting a spectacular winner in their win over Real Betis at San Nicola and revealing his ambitions to win the Champions League for the illustrious Italian club.
Stones signed with Italian giants Inter Milan recently, inking a deal that runs till 2028-summer. After 10 years with City from 2016 to 2026, Stones is representing the 21-time Serie A champions and three-time European champions.
Stones was absolutely clinical during the friendly clash, scoring in the 82nd minute with a right-footed flick, securing a 1-0 win.
After the match, Stones expressed that the Inter Milan shirt is "one of the most beautiful" in football history and the club's greatness can be felt everywhere. A Champions League winner with Man City, he now wants to do the same for his new club.
"The Inter shirt is one of the most beautiful in football history: you can feel the club's greatness everywhere, I am proud to be part of this special team. We want to write new pages in history. Serie A is tough, there are many teams who will fight for the Champions League spots. I've stepped out of my comfort zone, I want to bring the Champions League to the fans," said Stones, according to Goal.com.
At the club, he is reuniting with his long-time defensive partner at Man City, Manuel Akanji, who played the Champions League final against Inter Milan together back in 2023 and won a historic treble. Now, these two sides are going to be a wall for the club that once was denied the biggest prize in European football.
Speaking on his bonding with Manuel, he said, "Manuel is a fantastic and genuine person. A world-class player, I am happy to be reunited with him."
Stones is now going to play a different kind of football in Italy. Having spent a decade as a hybrid defender-midfielder in the UK, he will now feature in Serie A, where tactical discipline and diverse defensive structures are two of the competition's biggest hallmarks, and the Englishman is looking to this new style of play.
"I'm excited for this challenge, and I want to learn a new style of play that I'm not used to," Stones concluded.
Stones attained a lot of success with Manchester City in his decade-long association with the club, winning Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups, three Community Shields, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. He made a total of 295 appearances for the English giants, scoring 19 goals.
His consistency, defensive solidity and reliability also made him a crucial part of the England national team, earning 94 international caps and playing a massive role in taking his side to the UEFA Euro final in both 2021 and 2024 and two FIFA World Cup semifinals, most recently this year, where they lost to Argentina. (ANI)
Stones reveals Champions League ambitions with Inter Milan after netting winner on club debut
