John Stones: ​“I’m big into looking after my teeth!”

Whether you’re a red, blue or nothing at all, all eyes were on Man City this past weekend. After their Premier League and FA Cup wins earlier this year, could they bag the treble with the third and final trophy of the year at the Champions League?

Course they could. They clinched the historic win with a 1 – 0 over Inter Milan, taking the Champions trophy back to the Etihad Stadium and becoming the second English club to complete a tri-win since Man Utd in 1999.

John Stones was a key player in the team’s victory. One minute, he was centre-back, the next, he was furthest forward, passing flick-ons to Erling Haaland, all the while keeping things calm and composed on the pitch. The boy from Barnsley even completed all six of his attempted dribbles – the most completed in a Champions League final since Lionel Messi racked up 10 for Barcelona against Juventus in 2015. Not bad, John.

But sorry, footie fans, we’re not here to talk about the beautiful game. When they’re not in the papers for doing out country proud, you can probably find the pretty and preened boys of English football on Instagram wearing top-notch clobber and starring in fashion campaigns, with hair styled by the nation’s most prized barbers. Call it the Becks effect, but when it comes to looking sharp, blokes often look to football players.

So who better to grill on skincare, hair products and a spot of R&R? With Man City’s well-earned celebrations fully underway (see: our Jack Grealish downing something that doesn’t look like protein powder), we managed to grab the team’s talismanic hybrid player John Stones for a catch-up, before the champ carries on the party.

My alarm goes off at…
Around 7am. It gives me time to get breakfast, get ready and get to the training ground nice and early ready for the day ahead.

I hit snooze ​’til…
The last moment! But once I’m up, I’m up.

The first thing I do once I’m out of bed is…
Check my Oura ring to see how I’ve slept – it’s addictive. It tells me how long it took me to fall asleep, how much REM and deep sleep I managed, how many times I woke up…it’s mad. Then it’s family time and breakfast.

My favourite toothpaste brand is…
Oral B! My electric toothbrush is Oral B too.

True or false: I floss daily…
True! I’m big on dental hygiene.

My getting ready regime looks like…
It’s pretty simple, really. Music on, shower, deodorant, shave, moisturise, brush teeth, outfit on, finish with a spritz aftershave. We’re ready to go.

My favourite moisturiser is…
I’ll use Dior Sauvage moisturiser if I’m off out somewhere special. Or my everyday go to at the moment is L’Oreal Men Expert.

The longest I’ll spend on my hair in the morning is…

Not long if I’m honest, probably two or three minutes. You can time me on that one! I don’t overcomplicate things and just use a bit of matte or clay. Crazy Bull and Got2Be are in my wash bag at the moment.

What did your hair look like in school?
It was a lot longer and a lot lighter.

The England player with the best haircut is…
That’s a big question. I don’t want to upset anyone as it’s a competitive category… but I’ll give Jack [Grealish] a shout out given the time he takes doing it!

Have you ever had your ear pierced?
I had both ears pierced in secondary school – but I haven’t worn earrings since.

My secret tattoos are…
I wouldn’t say any are secrets but all of my tattoos are personal to me!

The first aftershave I owned was…
Lynx – does that count? I remember going into Boots aged 11 and asking my mum to buy me Lynx Africa. I can still smell it now – it was absolutely iconic.

But now I’m using…
I mix it up, depending on my mood. Usually it’s between Dior Sauvage, Tom Ford Ombre Leather and Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male.

Have you ever experimented with fake tan?
No chance!

My workout routine looks like…
I work out every day. I’ll work out at the training ground, then at home either straight after training or late in the evening. As athletes we have to follow a very specific and tailored training schedule and we’re lucky to have a great coaching and sports science team at both Man City and England who look after us in that regard.

Do you get your five-a-day?
I definitely get my five-a-day. I have to stay fuelled and give my body what it needs to get through the season. Nutrition is such an important part for us and so I make sure I’m always putting the right things in body… bar the very occasional cheat day!

How long does it take you to get ready for a night out?
Nights out are non existent for me! But if we are going somewhere, perhaps somewhere nice for dinner, again, not long! I’m pretty relaxed generally speaking and so don’t like to stress about things!

I relax in the evening by…
Spending time with my family at every chance I get because we are away so much.

My bathtime essentials are…
Do ice baths count? We have lots of those after games to help with recovery. In my personal time I don’t mind a hot bath, I must say. The White Company Spa Restore Muscle Soak is a game-changer and smells unreal, or just good old Epsom salts.

I get ready for bed by….
Having a good nutritious meal and then chilling out and relaxing. I’ll try to stay off my phone for an hour before bed so I can wind down. Then it’s the usual bed admin – have a wash, brush my teeth, bed!

Bedtime is at…
Normally around 10pm.

How do you sleep?
I always sleep well — I’m a good sleeper.

I’ve been dreaming of…
Football!