John Stones Finally Realizes His Dream of Playing Outside of England after Moving to Inter Milan

John Stones revealed that playing abroad with Inter Milan is his dream (Instagram/@inter).

JAKARTA - John Stones says he is delighted to have joined Inter Milan and realised his lifelong dream of playing abroad after a decade of success with Manchester City.

The second player recruited in Pep Guardiola's era joined the great manager in his departure from the Etihad Stadium last summer after helping the club win 20 major trophies.

Stones' achievements include six Premier League titles (Premier League), three FA Cups, and five Carabao Cups, as well as an unforgettable Champions League victory in 2023 that brought him the treble.

Inter Milan were the opponents in the Champions League final at the time and have become his new home after signing a two-year contract at the Giuseppe Meazza.

"To be honest, I feel a lot of emotions. A tremendous sense of happiness and pride. The joy of starting this new chapter, this new journey, and the right place to do it."

"Of course (moving abroad) is something I've always wanted to do. When this opportunity came up, I spoke to my family and we didn't hesitate to come here," Stones said on the club's website.

Stones is wanted by English clubs and across Europe, but he cannot ignore the lure of playing for the Serie A club.

The 32-year-old becomes the fourth English player to play for Inter Milan. He joins former Manchester City teammate Manuel Akanji in the backline and will play under the guidance of former teammate, assistant coach Aleksandar Kolarov.

"I'm someone who really wants to win again. I think that's the most important thing. I'm very lucky to have won a lot in the past."

"I want to bring that experience here and help the team, help the club. Keep learning and growing as a player under the guidance of the manager and assistant Kola (Kolarov), who is also my teammate at Manchester City."

"I'm really excited and hopefully I can give my all. I'm really open to learning new things and a new way of playing football and a new league," Stones said.

Stones joined Inter Milan after helping England achieve their best result at the 2026 World Cup, although a bronze medal was not the goal of Thomas Tuchel's team.

"It's been a very busy but enjoyable summer. I'm always proud to play for my country and have represented them many times, achieving some great milestones in our country's history."

"It's something I'm really proud of, getting the bronze medal. It's not what we wanted, but we made a new history and I'm really proud of that."

"Obviously I'm very proud to be here. I think my smile says it all," said the defender with 94 appearances for England.