There are players who pass through a club… and then there are players who leave a legacy stitched into its history. John Stones belongs to the latter.
From the moment John Stones arrived at ManCity, you could tell he was different. Not just a defender, but a footballer in the purest sense; calm under pressure, elegant on the ball, and brave enough to redefine what a CB could be in a Pep's system.
He wasn’t always understood. There were moments of doubt, criticism, and questions about his consistency. But Stones never ran from it. He evolved. He adapted. And eventually, he became one of the most intelligent and technically gifted defenders in world football; stepping into midfield, dictating play, and becoming a crucial piece of City’s dominance.
And then… there was Istanbul.
The night of the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final will forever live in the hearts of City fans. It wasn’t just about lifting the trophy; it was about completing a journey. And on that night, John Stones delivered a performance that defined everything he had become. Composed, fearless, and absolutely worldclass. He controlled the game when it mattered most, showing intelligence, strength, and leadership on the biggest stage of all.
That wasn’t just a performance; it was a statement.
A statement that he belonged among the very best. A statement that he had helped bring ManCity to the pinnacle of European football. A statement that would echo through the club’s history forever.
John Stones gave City more than just trophies. He gave identity. He gave evolution. He gave moments that fans will replay for generations.
So as his chapter at the Etihad comes to an end, one thing is certain; he will never be forgotten. Not for the titles, not for the brilliance, but for the way he carried himself in sky blue.
Once a Blue, always a Blue.
Thank you, John Stones.
THANK YOU GENERAL 🩵
If we can't do it for ourselves, then let's do it for Bernardo.
Let's go and win every piece of silverware still within our reach for him. One last time. For our captain.
If we can't find the fire, let's borrow his. If we can't find the belief, let's lean on his.
Let's do it for him this Sunday against Arsenal. Let's do it for him in every remaining fixture. Let's run through walls, chase every ball, fight for every inch because he did it for us, year after year, without complaint, without fuss, without ever looking the other way when bigger clubs came calling.
He gave us everything. Now we give him this.
One of the most loyal servants this club has ever known. He deserves it all.
Let's send him off the way he arrived with heart, with fight, and with silverware in his hands.
For Bernardo. 🩵
He is 39 years old
At 14, expelled from school for missing classes due to youth team duties, then dropped from the national team after clashing with the coach
His mother and sister both battled cancer when he was 20. His mother died, sister survived. He played a match right after her funeral.
Faced family eviction after parents divorce. Grew up in an area with drugs/gangs and admits he could have taken a "wrong path"
Speaks 5+ languages fluently. Dutch, French, English, German, plus some Spanish/Italian
Earned a Global MBA from Manchester Business School while captaining Man City, graduating with merit/distinction.
Became Bayern Munich's first Black manager in Bundesliga history. And also first Bundesliga black manager.
Married lifelong Man City fan Carla Higgs in 2011. They have three kids (daughter Sienna, sons Kai & Caleb)
Scored a stunning 30 yard volley vs Leicester that helped seal Man City's 2018/19 title. His teammates yelled at him not to shoot! 😂
I remember this very wellll
Led Burnley to Championship title with record 101 points in his first managerial season using stylish, possession football.
Won the Bundesliga title in his first season (2024/25) with games to spare
Overall record at Bayern is over 100 games, 76 wins, 13 draws, 11 losses (76% win rate)
His Bayern side scored 100 Bundesliga goals in just 28 matches this season.
Vincent Kompany's parents taught him he'd need to work "twice as hard" as others due to his background
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Having a loved one live with cancer is very hard on the mind.
Having 2?
Insanely critical on anyone's mental health.
And then the pain of loosing one of them (his mother) at a period where you are just getting into your career and life..... Is unimaginable
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You see, Vincent Kompany has gone through a very tough beginning. And it would be very hard to grasp that he would still have the mentality to pull off these achievements in his career as a player and coach
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Now for you reading this....
You have a past.
I have a past.
Vincent Kompany has his own past.
And I particularly don't know how hard your past was, or it's mental implications on you
But what I do know is that, your past is not above your willpower as an human.
You can still grow the willpower to take active small steps consistently, to outgrow the negative impacts that your past has on you.
Yes. You have to outgrow your past and it's hold on you.
That's what Vincent Kompany did.
He didn't forget his past or pretended it didn't happen.
Instead, Vincent grew his mental state resilience and toughness, so that his past won't have any hold or control over the decisions he makes in the present, that will shape out his future.
And to grow your own mental toughness, you just need to focus on 1-2 things that absolutely bring so much meaning and fulfilment to you. And then do it so long that it becomes your new "normal" (overriding your past hurt gradually with time)
Yours can be your spouse, your business, your kids, parents, siblings or like Vincent's... Family, friend and football... Hehe
I wish you the utmost best as you ponder on all these.
Thank you very much for reading and do remember to drink your water today 💦
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✍️ Vincent the Therapist
The city of Andernach, Germany planted 101 varieties of tomatoes in the town center and told everyone to take whatever they wanted.
It was such a hit they did beans the next year, then added onions, fruit trees, lettuce, zucchini, berries, and herbs. All free to the public and maintained by the city.
Andernach is now known as the "edible city."
Philadelphia has been doing a version of this since 2007. The Philadelphia Orchard Project has helped establish 67 sites across the city with thousands of food-bearing trees.
Baltimore is planting fruit trees on sidewalks. Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, and Asheville all have public urban orchards.
A mature apple tree produces 400-500 pounds of fruit per year. A mature pear tree can produce for 75 years.
We've decided our cities should have trees. We just haven't decided those trees should feed people.
Would you support urban fruit trees and vegetables in your city?
1 in 5 mammals on Earth is a bat.
They pollinate over 500 plants including mangoes, bananas, agave, and cacao.
A single colony of 150 big brown bats eats enough cucumber beetles in one summer to protect local crops from 33 million rootworm larvae.
They are also disappearing. White-nose syndrome has killed over 90% of some North American bat populations since 2006.
What actually helps:
🏠 Put up a bat box: 15-20 feet high, facing south, near water
🚫 Stop using pesticides: you're eliminating their food supply
💡 Turn off unnecessary outdoor lights: disrupts their hunting and navigation
🌿 Plant night-blooming native flowers: feeds the moths they eat
Bats were here 50 million years before us.
Give them somewhere to live and let them do their thing.
This isn't a horror movie set. It's a road in Denmark.
The streetlights are red to save the bats.
Bats can't see red light the way they see white or green light, so to them, it's essentially darkness.
White streetlights are one of the leading causes of bat decline in urban areas. Light-shy species avoid lit areas entirely, cutting them off from feeding grounds and migration routes.
Standard streetlights reduce bat activity by up to 90% in some species.
Denmark figured out a fix. So did the Netherlands. When they installed red LED streetlights along roads near bat colonies, bat activity returned to normal levels almost immediately.
The lights still work fine for humans. Drivers can see. Cyclists can navigate.
The only thing that changed is that the bats got their night back.
Do you want your city to do this?
From the first day to the last, you gave everything for the badge. 🩵 9 years, 450+ games, and a heart as big as Manchester More than trophies, we watched a magician at work. You leave a Captain and a Legend. The City faithful will miss you!Obrigado
( OUR CAPT Bernardo).ManCi🩵😢
Antoine Semenyo has been a revelation at City. Since joining in January, he has filled a gap left by Riyad Mahrez after his departure at the end of the 2022/23 season. While Semenyo isn’t a like for like replacement, he brings goals, assists, and on ball qualities that have been missing from our wingers for the past two years.
He arrived in a one dimensional City side that was struggling for goals, with Erling Haaland being the only consistent source of scoring. Since then, Semenyo has played 17 games, scoring 8 goals and providing 3 assists. Even with Haaland going through a dip in form during this period, Semenyo has stepped up and proven himself to be a match winner.
The results prove his impact. City have a 73.3% win rate when he starts, and his performances particularly in the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup quarter final against Arsenal and Liverpool have made the £65 million price tag look like a bargain.
He may not always be the most aesthetically pleasing player on the ball, but he is ruthless in front of goal and in dangerous areas and that is exactly what this team needed.
After nine unforgettable years, it’s time to say goodbye. Thank you for everything, Bernardo 🩵
A player who gave everything for the badge. A warrior in every moment. A fighter until the very end. A true City legend. ✨
Let’s hope he enjoys his final weeks at the club and gets the farewell he truly deserves. 🏆
Once a blue, always a blue. You’ll be missed, Bernardo Silva 🥲
Everything I did to get my health back went against what we've been told for years.
I quit the low fat diet and started eating real food. Eggs. Butter. Red meat. Salt. I stopped fearing the sun. I ditched the processed garbage that was marketed as healthy.
I lost 100 lbs, Im almost four years sober, I have more energy than I had in my twenties, and actually living my life.
Nobody handed me a pamphlet for this. No doctor recommended it. I just stopped listening to the same guidelines that kept me sick and started paying attention to what actually made me feel better.
They told us to avoid eggs. Limit red meat. Fear the sun. Use margarine instead of butter. Eat whole grains and low fat everything.
How did that work out for us?
Sometimes the answer isn't following the rules. It's questioning who wrote them.
Rodri won our club the Champions League, won the Ballon D’Or as a blue and gave the best years of his playing career to the club that for many of us, is everything. He’s built his own legacy and will likely get a statue.
Disrespect him; then don’t bother calling yourself a blue.