Ruben Dias named Premier League Player of the Season after helping Manchester City to the title
Ruben Dias has been named Premier League Player of the Season after helping Manchester City regain their title in style.
The Portuguese defender beat his City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne and Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane to the accolade following a remarkable start to life at the Etihad.
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes, Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, West Ham’s Tomas Soucek, Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah also made the shortlist.
Manchester City defender Ruben Dias has been named Premier League Player of the Season
Dias enjoyed an outstanding first season in the Premier League after signing from Benfica
It completes a double for Dias after he won the Football Writers’ Association award last month.
The 24-year-old enjoyed an outstanding debut season in the Premier League after joining for £65million from Benfica last September.
His solid defensive displays enabled Pep Guardiola’s team to storm clear at the top of the table during the second half of the season and ultimately finish 12 points ahead of Man United.
City kept 15 clean sheets in the 32 matches he featured in as his partnership with England defender John Stones led to the team conceding just 32 league goals all season – the fewest in the top-flight.
Dias lifts the Premier League trophy at the end of his debut season in English football with City
Dias formed an effective central defensive partnership with England international Stones
Dias poses with the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award last month
Dias has beaten the likes of Kevin De Bruyne (left) and Harry Kane (right) to the award
As well as playing an integral role in their Premier League triumph, Dias also starred as City won the Carabao Cup.
But they were unable to win the Champions League as well, losing 1-0 to Chelsea in last Saturday’s final in Porto.
Dias becomes only the fourth defender to win the Premier League’s Player of the Season award after Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic, ex-City captain Vincent Kompany and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.
He is the second Portuguese player to win it, after Cristiano Ronaldo of Man United in 2006-07 and 2007-08.
The Premier League Player of the Season is determined by a combination of a public vote and the views of the 20 club captains and a panel of football experts.
Dias gets away from Neymar during City’s Champions League semi-final win against PSG
Dias (right) saw his season end disappointingly after the Champions League final defeat
