John Stones’ election slogan as he campaigned to become Manchester City captain has left fans in hysterics.
At the start of last season, Pep Guardiola’s side held a team vote to decide who should get the armband. As two of the most experienced players in the team, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne were seen as the main contenders.
But Stones fancied the job too, launching a light-hearted campaign. He even distributed posters to team-mates which read ‘John Stones – Man of the People’.
Unfortunately for the England defender, he did not secure enough votes, with Gundogan being elected skipper instead. The German went on to lift three trophies during the club’s glorious Treble-winning campaign. Gundogan has opened up about the battle to be skipper, confirming Stones’ front-foot campaign strategy.
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“John promoted himself, yes, but more for fun,” he told German tabloid Bild. “When I was elected captain, I was relatively sure that I would be in the top three [of the vote]. It was about whether it would be Kev [Kevin De Bruyne] or me. I think it was relatively close."
The tale has delighted City fans, with one posting: “That definitely sounds like something he would do.”
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Another said: “OMG, why’s he so adorable.” A third lauded: “LOL, I just love that we have lots of leaders in the team.”
On the honour of being installed as campaign, Gundogan said: “That was a moment full of pride, a nice feeling, a kind of award from the team-mates. The fact that my colleagues voted made the office even more important to me.”
Gundogan left City for Barcelona at the end of last season, making his decision after the Champions League final against Inter Milan.
“That was probably the hardest phone call [to Guardiola] I've ever had in my life,” he admitted. “The conversation was emotional, but Pep was also happy for me. I switched to the club that was close to his heart and his childhood, so to speak – and as a fan he was very happy about that.
“He also told me: If I need anything, I should contact him at any time. It was brilliant to experience Pep as a coach. This will help me a lot over the next few years.”
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