John Stones reveals he ‘daren’t think’ about England winning Euro 2020… and admits getting to the final against Italy was ‘something we could only have dreamt of’ at the start of the tournament
England centre-back John Stones has revealed he doesn’t want to think about what winning the Euro 2020 final against Italy would mean to him ahead of Sunday’s clash.
Stones has been at the heart of England’s hugely impressive defence, which has conceded just one goal through the entire tournament so far.
While Gareth Southgate has won praise for rotating his squad wisely and changing personnel when required, Stones is the only defender who has started in all six Euro 2020 matches to date.
John Stones said he hasn’t dared think about England winning the Euro 2020 final on Sunday
The Manchester City player is the only defender to start all of England’s Euro 2020 matches
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Stones was asked whether an England win on Sunday would change his life, to which he replied: ‘I daren’t think!
‘From my personal perspective it’s approaching the game how we have every other one in this tournament, or at club level, and giving everything,’ Stones continued.
‘From outside what I’ve been hearing is the England team, whoever plays or contributes, has given everything for that shirt in the past few years.
‘We all love the England team, growing up as fans, being able to play for them now, we absolutely cherish it.’
Stones (second right) admitted getting to the final was just a dream at the tournament’s start
Southgate’s men have led England to their first major final since 1966, and their first ever Euros final.
England’s improvement through the tournament has been exceptional, overcoming lacklustre performances against Croatia and Scotland to triumph over Germany, Ukraine and Denmark in the knock-out stages.
Amid all of the euphoria of England’s achievement, Stones admitted that reaching the final was just a dream back when the tournament began.
Stones said England have ‘learned a lot’ their way to the final, which is a ‘massive occasion’
‘It’s huge (being in the final), with it being at Wembley as well it’s even more special – something we could have only dreamt of at the start of the tournament,’ he said.
‘We’ve got this far now and we’ve grown throughout the tournament and not put too much pressure on ourselves. We’ve overcome some tough tests over the last few years.’
‘We’ve learned a lot of things and gained a lot of experience and that’s got us to where we are on Sunday. It’s a massive occasion.’