When Manchester City signed Ruben Dias in the final days of September 2020, few imagined he would go on to have such a huge impact at the club in such a short space of time.
At just 23-years-old Dias came straight into the team and shored up what was a shaky and disorganised defence. He formed a superb understanding with fellow centre-back John Stones as City recovered from a poor start to the season to win the Premier League title, and was named the FWA Footballer of the Year at the end of his debut campaign.
Dias' physical and technical qualities were immediately clear, but what also became obvious was that City had found the leader their back-line had been sorely missing. With little regard for his status as a new signing, Dias set about organising his teammates and acting as a leader both on and off the pitch and by his second season in Manchester he had become part of City's leadership group.
