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Ruben Dias has been voted the best defender in the world by fellow pros

Ruben Dias has been voted the best defender in the world by fellow pros

Ruben Dias emerged victorious in a poll voted in by current players, beating the likes of Virgil van Dijk and David Alaba.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Manchester City's Ruben Dias has been voted the best defender in the world by a number of fellow professionals.

The Portugal centre-back played an integral part in City's historic treble triumph, a feat that was completed by a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul to secure a first ever Champions League trophy for the Blues.

Almost a throwback defender in the vein of John Terry and Nemanja Vidic, Dias was imperious at the heart of City's backline and demonstrated impressive leadership qualities throughout his 43 appearances in all competitions.

The former Benfica man has been praised by many former defenders for his consistent performances and he also has plenty of admirers within the game.

Every year, 252 players plying their trade in the Bundesliga take part in polls in a number of multiple categories.

Some relate to the league and others football in general - with one being who the best defender in the world is today.

And as per Kicker, Dias was the victor by an absolute landslide. 31.2% either voted for "other" or decided not to partake at all, but the three-time Premier League winner accrued 24.2% of votes.

Image: Alamy
Image: Alamy

Real Madrid defender David Alaba, formerly of Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, was second with 9.9% - just ahead of teammate Antonio Rudiger (7.9%) and Virgil van Dijk (6%).

More City presence comes in the form of both England pair John Stones (5.2%) and Kyle Walker (4%) - who are only separated by rumoured top defensive target Josko Gvardiol of RB Leipzig.

The Croatian centre-back has been voted the best defender in the Bundesliga, beating Bayern's Matthijs De Ligt (3.6%).

Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt forward Kolo Muani got the nod for player of the season but Sadio Mane was brutally voted as the biggest flop of the season.

The former Liverpool man had a disappointing first campaign at the Allianz Arena and received a whopping 41.7% of the votes.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Ruben Dias, Manchester City, Premier League, Bundesliga

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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