Manchester City defender Ruben Dias has been named Football Writers' Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year for the 2020/21 season. The 24-year-old Portugal international who was signed by City for about £65m from Benfica last summer made series of eye-catching impact on the champions since coming on.
The Portugal defender picked up more votes than Man City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne and Tottenham striker Harry Kane, to claim the honour and hence becoming the first defender to land that prize since former Liverpool star Steve Nicol in 1989.
Reflecting on his award, Dias said: "It's a huge privilege, I'm very, very happy. I could not have done it without the success of the team, without everyone in the team deserving this award. Only by that, as a defender, am I able to be here to receive this prize.
"Essentially, when I came I wanted to meet everyone as fast as possible, understand how the team plays. I knew the manager and the players, I knew a bit about the philosophy of the club because I am a fan of football and I know City for the last few years.
"I had an idea of what I was coming to and I wanted to integrate myself as fast as possible."
The Footballer of the Year trophy has been awarded since 1948 when Sir Stanley Matthews was its first recipient.
