John Stones on viral prank: 'It was good vibes in there'

England defender John Stones has revealed the story behind a viral prank that fooled manager Thomas Tuchel after the Three Lions' 3-2 victory over Mexico. The moment, which has amassed more than 40 million views on social media, showed Stones apparently injuring his shoulder before breaking into celebration.

Prank unfolds in the changing room

In footage from the England changing room, Tuchel is seen clapping along to post-match music before stopping in concern as midfielder Declan Rice signals that Stones has hurt his shoulder. Stones, holding his shoulder and flexing his arm in apparent discomfort, suddenly begins pumping his fist toward the ceiling as the song's drop kicks in. His teammates cheer, and a visibly relieved Tuchel bounces over to hug the 32-year-old.

Stones explains the joke

Speaking to England's in-house media, Stones joked about his shoulder: "It's feeling better now, it's feeling better - it has its ups and downs." He added that the prank was inspired by a freak injury suffered by midfielder Jordan Henderson, who fell while jumping over advertising hoardings after the match.

"I tried to keep a straight face as I was doing it because I saw he [Tuchel] was concerned and thinking, 'has he actually hurt himself?'," Stones said. "Especially after what Hendo had just done outside, he didn't know what was going to come but it was good vibes in there. I didn't think it would get that much traction to be fair."

Match context and upcoming fixture

Stones started England's opening 4-2 win against Croatia and made a brief appearance in the 2-1 victory over DR Congo. Against Mexico, he came on with just over half an hour to play after winger Bukayo Saka was substituted following Jarell Quansah's red card. England will face Norway in the quarter-finals in Miami on Saturday at 22:00 BST.