Manchester City defender Ruben Dias has been described as an “incredible” defender by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp.
The 23-year-old joined Pep Guardiola’s side last September from Benfica in a reported £65million deal and has made 46 appearances to date.
Dias has already lifted the League Cup, is on the verge of getting his hands on the Premier League title, and is one game away from winning the Champions League.
The Portuguese was at his very best in midweek as City overcame Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals.
As well as marshalling his defence superbly, Dias flung himself at the ball time after time and kept Mauro Icardi out of the game.
“When you look at what’s changed from this year to last year, obviously the circumstances, but I do look at individuals and how they can turn a team’s fortunes and I believe that person for City is Ruben Dias,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.
“He has created a brilliant environment there – you can see any time he makes a challenge, any time he makes a block, he’s high-fiving, he gets people together…
“He’s just a leader of men and for such a young man, to have that quality it’s so unusual, especially in the modern day.
“He has got that Vincent Kompany, John Terry, Nemanja Vidic aura about him. He wants to defend, he’s old school in that manner, but an incredible defender.
“That’s the difference between this year and last year with City because they made so many individual errors with goals and they never really had a partnership.
“But Dias has made John Stones look like the defender we all thought he could be.”
TBR View:
City have struck gold with Dias, a player who is already one of the Premier League’s top defenders, very much on par with the amazing Virgil van Dijk.
And the fact he’s just 23 and has plenty of years ahead of him, he’s really got the potential to become the very best centre-back in the world.