The Portuguese central defender brought his own fierce desire and unquenchable thirst for success into the City dressing room when he joined the Club from Benfica last September.
His impact since then has been little short of remarkable with Dias playing more minutes than any other player and establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s finest defenders with many tipping him as a potential candidate to be named Player of the Season.
Dias has also been instrumental in helping inspire the very best out of his colleagues – not least central defensive colleague John Stones with whom he has forged a formidable partnership.
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And ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Tottenham, where we will be seeking a fourth successive League Cup win, the 25-year-old revealed how an ‘unstoppable’ mindset and bond had brought the City dressing room even closer together.
“People can talk about me and John, but as well talk about every other relationship we have on the field between two, three, all of the 11 players playing on the field,” Dias pointed out.
“It is a going to war thing and (saying): ‘OK, you’re in trouble, I will help you out and be there for you. Whenever you make a mistake, I will be there for you.
“Whenever you are not in the best mood or the best moment, I will be there for you.’
“We have just grown that culture since the beginning, that makes everyone feel better about the guy next to him.
“It makes you feel more confident and like you are unstoppable because you are all on the same page. I think that is the main goal we have achieved.”
Though City’s quest for a quadruple was ended by Chelsea in last Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final, City are still very much in the hunt for the three remaining trophies.
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We hold an 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League, contest the first leg of our Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain next Wednesday and, more immediately, make a quick return to Wembley on Sunday to tackle Spurs in the League Cup showpiece.
With the stakes so high and three trophies up for grabs, Dias says that every game between now and the end of May will resemble a final.
“Obviously, we were not happy about the FA Cup semi-final but you have just got to hang on tight and keep moving forward as we are still in three competitions,” Dias added.
“It was a hard for us but that is just football, that is the way it is. You win or you lose and because we have been so good so far, now it is all finals. Every game is a final.
“If you don’t get a good result, you are out. It is tremendous work from the team
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“We just need to keep going. Even before, when people were saying ‘you are going for the quadruple’, but obviously we are going for everything we can.
“Only at the end can you say where you got to. That is the spirit, to keep working and to keep wanting it all.
“The important thing is that we are still in three competitions and we are close to the end. That is it, not thinking about it and to just keep going.”
