FOOTBALL fans have been left in hysterics after discovering why Bernardo Silva named his dog after John Stones.
It was revealed earlier this year that that Portuguese forward named his French Bulldog after his Manchester City team-mate.
But now Stones has explained the backstory behind the decision and it is a bizarre, hilarious turn of events.
Speaking to Goal, he said: “Bernardo said to me, ‘If I get a dog John, I’m going to call it John, John Stones’.
“I was like, ‘Alright, why?’ He said, ‘Because I want every time I get my dog or shout my dog, I’ll think of you and telling you to come to me like I own you’.
“Anyway, the next minute he gets a dog. And I said ‘Oh nice Bernardo, what you got?’ ‘I’ve got a French Bulldog and I’ve called it John like I said I would’. “And I said ‘Oh my god, here we go’.
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“And it’s just stemmed from there. He brings his dog into training and you can imagine what goes on in the changing room then.
“We’ve got a good relationship, me and Bernardo. So for him to have a dog and for his Mrs to accept calling it John as well, he must like me.
“So I’ll take it as a compliment in some way.”
The tale has left football fans in fits of laughter as they reacted on social media.
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Responding to the weird and wonderful story, one said: “Don’t know how to react to that tbf😂.”
Another simply added: “What the hell 💀😭😭.”
And a third supporter said: “He should have called it Barcelona instead 😂😂.”
Stones and Silva have been team-mates for five years, with Stones joining City in 2016 and Silva arriving the following season.
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The pair are currently both away on international duty, with Stones preparing for England’s Nations League games against Italy and Germany.
Meanwhile, Silva’s Portugal side will take on Czech Republic and Spain over the next week.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk