Stones, speaking to BBC One after the final whistle, was open about the difficulty of not featuring in a match he had hoped to play in, having been part of the side that reached the final earlier in the season.
"I wanted to be involved in the game. As a player it's hard to take, especially when a lot of us played the semi-final. It's part of adapting and getting behind the team."
He was measured in his assessment of Manchester City's performance, acknowledging the game never fully opened up before Antoine Semenyo's backheel finish on 72 minutes settled matters.
"It wasn't the best game today in terms of chances or how we actually played in the first half but to stick in there and fight like we did is incredible."
The send-off he received from the Wembley crowd clearly moved the 31-year-old, who lifted the trophy alongside departing captain Bernardo Silva.
"I can't put it into words. I said it before but I never would have believed or thought 10 years ago that this would be happening, I would have a song and be so loved, it's so overwhelming. It's really special."
Stones arrived at City from Everton in the summer of 2016 and has won every major honour available to a Premier League club across his tenure, including four league titles and a Champions League. He was careful not to dwell on a difficult end to his final campaign, during which injuries and limited selection kept him out of the side for extended periods.
"It's been a difficult season. I think the first half of the season I played quite a lot of games and was involved but I picked up a little injury in December and been back since then. It's football. I haven't got the answers really for why I haven't played."
Pep Guardiola, who is also expected to leave City in the summer, paid tribute to Stones and Bernardo Silva before Saturday's game, describing both players as representing the club in the best way possible throughout their respective tenures.