John Stones said he is “very excited for what’s to come” at Inter after marking his debut with a goal against Real Betis.

The 32-year-old scored the winner in a 1-0 victory just 12 minutes after being substituted on, firing in on the turn from Benjamin Pavard’s knock-down in the box.

It was a deserved win for Inter, who produced 1.44 expected goals (xG) from 16 while restricting Betis to seven attempts worth just 0.14 xG.

Inter also welcomed back captain Lautaro Martinez, who helped Argentina reach the World Cup final this summer, while Nicolo Barella once again set the standard for Cristian Chivu’s side.

The midfielder created a match-high five chances, while completing the most passes in the final third for his side (18) and winning three of his seven duels.

Stones was delighted to score on his Inter debut and is relishing the challenge ahead this season.

“I’m truly very happy: it’s a pleasure for me to have scored this goal, especially because it doesn’t happen to me often,” said Stones after Inter’s final pre-season friendly.

Gol all’esordio: fatto pic.twitter.com/2sJ9bxoYae

— Inter  (@Inter) August 15, 2026

“Wearing the Nerazzurri shirt and scoring this goal is special, I’m very excited for what’s to come. The team’s performance was very positive, everyone worked incredibly hard, and I’m happy I was able to give them a deserved victory.

“This is a beautiful shirt, one of the most beautiful in football history: you can feel the greatness of this club everywhere at the training centre.

“I’ve seen the trophies, this is a special team, and I’m proud to be a part of it. We want to write new pages in history.

“Serie A is tough, there are many strong teams fighting for Champions League spots: I’m excited for this challenge and I want to experience a new style of play that I’m not used to. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone: let’s see what happens.”