England defender John Stones nearly walked away from football. Now he is in line to start at the World Cup.
According to BBC Sport, Stones revealed last October that he spent time seriously considering retirement after a string of injuries pushed him to a breaking point. On Wednesday, England faces Croatia in their tournament opener, and Stones is expected to be in the starting lineup.
The 32-year-old played just 439 minutes of Premier League football last season, appearing in only 18 games for Manchester City across all competitions. He missed two months with a thigh injury and then had to sit out England's two pre-tournament friendly matches because of a calf injury. Despite that, manager Thomas Tuchel included him in the 26-player squad ahead of Harry Maguire and Levi Colwill.
Tuchel described Stones as a "big part" of his plans and said he has "a lot of credit in the bank." He also started Stones alongside Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa in England's most recent friendly, a sign of where he stands in the pecking order heading into the group stage.
Stones says the road back was not easy.
"It was a difficult period when I said that [about retiring] and I hope I don't get to that again," Stones told BBC Sport. "We can all compare ourselves to all the people or 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'. And 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 or situations."
He also described the moment Tuchel called to tell him he had made the squad.
"I love being here and I think that goes without saying," Stones said. "But when I got the call off of the manager, I think he saw the kid inside of me, how I reacted it where I couldn't really control myself. It was like the first time."
This will be Stones' sixth major tournament with England. He helped the side reach the semi-finals and quarter-finals of the two previous World Cups. He also announced in April that he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season, meaning the tournament arrives at a pivot point in his career both personally and professionally.
England's match against Croatia kicks off Wednesday at 21:00 BST.
