Rúben dos Santos Gato Alves Dias (born 14 May 1997) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Manchester City and the Portugal national team.
[13][14] He moved to Benfica's youth academy in 2008, where he played initially as a midfielder, before changing position to centre-back for the junior side until 2015.
[15] On 7 March 2016, Rui Vitória called 18-year-old Dias for Benfica's UEFA Champions League Round of 16-second leg tie against Zenit Saint Petersburg after three of his four main centre-backs were unable to make the trip to Russia.
[22] After heavy speculation linking Dias to a big money move to French side Lyon, he extended his contract with Benfica until 2023.
[23] On 2 November 2019, Dias played his 100th game for the club and scored the opening goal against Rio Ave in a 2–0 home victory.
[31] He was praised as being a key factor in Manchester City regaining the Premier League title that season by bringing composure, leadership and stability back to the defence.
[35] On 15 September 2021, Dias captained Manchester City for the first time, providing an assist for Jack Grealish in a 6–3 home Champions League win against RB Leipzig.
[36] On 1 December, Dias opened the scoring in Manchester City's 2–1 victory over Aston Villa, with his first goal from outside the box in his career.
[38] He made his return from injury on 20 April, replacing Nathan Aké in the 46th minute in a 3–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.
[42] Dias was called up to the senior side by Portugal manager Fernando Santos on 15 March 2018, ahead of international friendlies against Egypt and the Netherlands.
[47] Following the World Cup, Dias began establishing himself at centre-back, overtaking José Fonte's place alongside Pepe, featuring in all of Portugal's 2018–19 UEFA Nations League matches, helping Portugal reach the 2019 UEFA Nations League final on home soil.
[59] On 11 September 2023, during a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Luxembourg at home, Dias earned his 50th cap, starting in Portugal's 9–0 victory, their biggest win in international history.
[66] Dias is a physically strong, right-footed centre-back, who usually features on the left-hand side of central defence, due to being comfortable at passing the ball with both feet.
Dias is also dominant in the air, winning most of his aerial duels, as he looks to target his teammates and find them on a regular basis.
"[69][70] José Mourinho would praise Dias as the "best centre-back in world [...] for the Premier League, [he's] gaining another level of experience, knowledge".
[71] Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, stated that "Dias is the type of player who makes the whole team feel safe."