Manchester City defender Ruben Dias is today featured in a three-page interview with Portuguese newspaper Record.
Most of the conversation is regarding the national team, as they’re currently promoting the kit that will be used in the World Cup, so there was a lot of talk regarding the preparations and the teammates who will be playing the tournament for one last time.
But there was also room to speak a little about Manchester City.
Some of the questions were regarding the physical care Ruben Dias takes of his body at the club, with the player talking a lot about his eating habits.
Then speaking a little about his career at the Premier League side, the defender recalled the €71.6m transfer he made from Benfica to join Pep Guardiola’s team back in 2020.
“Obviously, it was an important moment for me. The opportunity to join one of the best clubs in the world as an ambitious player… there is no better context,” Ruben Dias told Record.
When asked if he was expecting all that, the player claims that none of it was in his sights.
“I didn’t expect anything, so it’s all an extra. I really like working without expectations, but it’s obvious that I have my dreams. When the moment of truth and the game comes, I like to think one day at a time, because I believe it’s very easy, especially nowadays with social networks, to deceive ourselves at every good moment and lose focus on where we are heading.”
“The focus is on the day-to-day, on the next game and that’s how I live my life. It’s my way of being and I believe that this is the way of being that will lead me to achieve the things I want. I have goals and trophies that I want to win and there is a big division that I make, between the collective and the individual part. My focus is on the collective part, because any gain collectively will make me better individually. Yes, I wanted this, but it’s a very controlled ambition.
“Obviously I wanted to win a Primeira Liga before arriving in England, of course I want to win a Champions League, an FA Cup… but it’s about relativising that obsession of wanting to win and focusing on everyday life.”