Having joined from Benfica last September, Dias’ new deal will keep him at the Club through until the summer of 2027.
The 24-year-old arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Benfica during last summer’s transfer window and made an instant impact with his defensive acumen, technical quality and winning mentality all proving key ingredients in a magnificent debut season for City.
He went on to make 50 appearances in all competitions, scoring once as Pep Guardiola’s side lifted both the Premier League title and retained the Carabao Cup as well as reaching a first-ever Champions League final.
Dias’ individual importance was also recognised with the Portuguese international winning the prestigious Football Writer’s Association Footballer of the Year award.
In addition, Dias was voted both the Premier League Player of the Season and the Etihad Player of the Season and last week he also was announced as the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League Defender of the Season
“I’m very happy to sign the new deal,” Dias said. “I have enjoyed every single minute of my time at City since joining last year.
“Playing for City has surpassed all my expectations and it’s an absolute pleasure to be part of such an incredible squad.
“I would also like to thank Pep and the coaching staff for the way they have helped me to develop as a player and keep pushing me to improve.
“To be part of the squad that achieved so much last season was incredible and made us all hungry to achieve even more.
“Now I just want to try and play my part in helping us be successful this season and beyond.”
Director of Football Txiki Begiristain added: “Ruben’s new deal is great news for our Club.
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“Although he only joined us less than a year ago, in that time Ruben has already proved to be such a vital part of our squad.
“And it tells you everything about his quality and importance to the Club that we wanted to recognise his impact with this new contract.
“He is everything you would want in a central defender and so much more and he will be a big part of our drive to bring even more success to the Club over the next few years.”
Everyone at Manchester City congratulates Ruben on his new contract and wishes him the best of luck for the rest of his career here.
RUBEN DIAS: I LOVE TO WIN
‘The most important thing to say is I love to win and that is the thing you most need to know about me.’
As statements of intent go, Ruben Dias’ introductory words to City fans following his move to the Etihad from Benfica last September could not have been clearer.
If anything, though, Dias’ impact in a quite extraordinary first season at the Club arguably surpassed even his own demanding expectations.
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From the moment he made his debut away at Leeds United on a rain-swept evening in West Yorkshire it was clear that City had acquired a special talent. One who was perfectly aligned with the ethos, drive and ambition of Pep Guardiola’s squad.
Armed with a commanding presence allied to a deep-rooted passion and that infectious winning mentality, Dias proved to be the final water-tight ingredient that helped bind City’s defence into English football’s meanest of machines.
As Pep Guardiola’s squad embarked on a remarkable sequence of results over the course of the 2020/21 campaign, breaking record upon record, City’s defence arguably served as the backbone behind those historic achievements.
And Dias was a veritable rock at the heart of that City backline.
Week in, week out, he literally put body and soul on the line for the common good and also helped bring the very best out of his colleagues with his desire and commitment to the cause proving infectious.
Along the way it was also no coincidence that John Stones enjoyed perhaps his own finest season in a City shirt as he fed off the example of his back-line colleague, the pair’s celebratory fist pumps after defensive clearances the perfect on-field manifestation of Dias’ desire and influence.
A colossal man-of-the-match display in our memorable Champions League semi-final second leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain also helped emphasise that the bigger the occasion, the more Dias seized the moment.
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Many have spoken of the 24-year-old as a potential future City captain and it’s not hard to see why.
His extraordinary impact was also recognised by those most demanding of critics – England’s press pack with the Football Writers’ Association voting Dias as their 2021 Footballer of the Year.
Dias joined some esteemed company on the prestigious FWA roll of honour – not least Club colleague Raheem Sterling who won the plaudit in 2019.
It says everything about the scale of the achievement that Dias was the first defender to win the award since Steve Nicol back in 1989 and only the third player to win the FWA award in their first season in England, following Jurgen Klinsmann (1995) and Gianfranco Zola (1997).
Further individual plaudits followed in the shape of the Premier League Player of the Season and Etihad Player of the Season awards with Dias chalking up 50 appearances all told.
Now, after a summer where he was a key part of the Portugal squad at EURO 2020, Dias is set to kick on once more, armed with the deserved reward of a new long-term contract.
CITY HONOURS LIST
Premier League (2020-21)
League Cup (2020-21)
SEASON-BY-SEASON STATS
2020/21
- Played: 50
- Goals: 1
