John Stones has had his say on whether he believes he is stronger than his Manchester City teammate Ruben Dias.
While Pep Guardiola tends to rotate his centre-backs quite often, Stones and Dias seem to be the best partnership at the club.
The pair have played together at Manchester City since 2020, winning four Premier League titles in a row, one FA Cup trophy and one Champions League in a treble-winning campaign in tandem.
Next season, as long as Stones can stay fit, it would not come as a surprise if he and Dias become City’s go-to centre-back pairing.
John Stones gives interesting response to Ruben Dias comparison
The reason why they work as a duo is due to their difference in styles as centre-backs.
Much like Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, while Stones is calmer and better in possession like the former, Dias is far more aggressive and a front-footed style of defender like the latter.
As a result, it is difficult for any striker to come up against the pair.
Ahead of England’s game against Slovenia, Stones was speaking to talkSPORT.
Faye Carruthers asked: “Who’s stronger, [John] Stones or [Ruben] Dias?”
Stones admitted that Dias is stronger than him, saying: “I’m going to go Ruben.”
Ruben Dias seems like the stronger defender
Stones seems to recognise his strengths as a player and with that in mind, he seems happy to admit that Dias is stronger than him.
In fairness, both centre-backs are extremely strong.
If they were not, they would be unable to go toe-to-toe with Premier League attackers, who are renowned for their strength.
However, both Stones and Dias rarely, if ever get outmuscled in their battles against them.
The Portuguese international does seem stronger, however, and in terms of winning duels, there are not many better than him in world football.
Perhaps the Manchester City’s number three’s broader frame in comparison to Stones’ lean body type makes one feel the former is stronger.
Regardless, City are fortunate to have a pair of world-class defenders in Dias and Stones amongst many others.