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True art, for the Danish philosopher Sthe ear Kierkegaard, it is a question of interiority and subjectivity, not of works. For the Danish, Greek thinkers are not geniuses for the creations they produced, but for their interior, for being works of art themselves. Kierkegaard also goes further and, while when art was a servant of the religious or court realm there was a collective conception of it, the philosopher has an autonomous vision of art; each individual understands it in their own way. In football there are a bit of these two conceptions, we all appreciate a great goal or a plastic dribble, but there are other actions that in some do not arouse interest, but in others it evokes a warm feeling. One of these actions is the art of defending. And today one of its greatest exponents is Rúben Dias, as Kierkegaard is of existentialism.
Born in 1997 in Amadora, Portugal, Rubén Dias began to take his first shots on the ball for his hometown team, Estrela da Amadora. At the age of eleven he went to one of the great academies in Portugal, Benfica, where he was forged as a footballer. In 2015 he debuted with the ‘Águilas’ affiliate in the LigaPro against Chaves. A few months later, and with only 18 years old, due to the lack of centrals, he was called up with the first team in a round of 16 match of the Champions League against Zenit, but did not debut. However, the reward would come two years later, in 2017 after the crucial role he played with Lisbon’s second team the previous season. It was in a match against Boavista, and from there Dias maintained his position in the eleven and over the years he became one of the most coveted players on the international scene.
Bolt
In an era in which center-backs are forced to be a fundamental piece in the construction of the play, and especially if Guardiola trains you, Dias has built this identity over the years. Already when he played under Bruno Lage at Benfica, he showed great control of the ball, as well as agility and ease in getting out of pressure. Attributes that you have put in the suitcase with which you traveled to Manchester. The Portuguese is the central that the ‘Citizens‘have searched for so long. After 235 million spent on defenses, the stronghold of the English champion already has its leader. Rúben Dias cost 70 million but from the first moment his investment has been at the height, 15 clean sheets in the 32 games as a starter he has played in the Premier. Statistics that, among others, have earned him to be considered the best footballer of the English championship season by the Association of Football Journalists in England. An individual recognition of great value in the Islands and that give more arguments to the disbursement that was made in summer. A prize worth double in a league dominated by great forwards. “Normally those who finish the plays take all the spotlight, but receiving this award is a great example that the work of this team starts from behind. We are like a family”, assured Dias upon receiving the award.
Rúben Dias cost 70 million but from the first moment his investment has been at the height, 15 clean sheets in the 32 games as a starter he has played in the Premier League
While it is true that his performance at the end of the Champions It was not one of the best, especially in the only goal of the game, an artist should not be judged for a bad work, but for the whole of his work. And without a doubt, Dias’ season has been excellent. In his first year in a top-level team, he has earned the respect of all those who doubted. In statistical terms, he has had a 93.2% effectiveness in the pass in the Premier
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– and 94.4% in the Champions, a key premise to develop in football that Guardiola wants to propose. Not only the sensations, but also the numbers exemplify the improvement of the defense ‘citizen‘.
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Now Rúben Dias hopes to maintain the level with his selection in the Eurocup and put the finishing touch to the season. The Portuguese is called to be the bastion of those of Fernando Santos, not only in the defense of the title, but also in the future. With Pepe and Rui Fonte in their last years of international careers, the Amadora must apply the determination and tenacity that he has shown in England. And it has shown that it is capable. Since his debut with the national team in 2018, Dias has evolved and acquired the necessary skills to play for Portugal and has learned from the best teacher, Pepe. The City team has managed to pick up the best characteristics of the Porto player and take them to another level. He still has a long way to go to have the same impact that his partner at the rear has had, but his potential is infinite. It has also shown that when it works best is when there is more pressure. And what greater pressure than being one of the starting centrals of the last European Championship champion and having players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and João Félix on your team.
Rúben Dias is called to be the leader of Portugal in the future. With determination and tenacity he wants to emulate the international career of his partner in the Portuguese defense, Pepe
Rúben Dias hopes not to resemble Kierkegaard, who lived his whole life tormented by perfection and by the search for motives and purposes. The Portuguese has shown at 24 that he cannot be under pressure, that he is the leader that City needed since Kompany left and the one that Portugal looks for when Pepe retires. Amadora is not terrified of anything, neither having to carry the weight of being one of the most expensive defenders in history nor that in his first season he has been chosen as the best player in England. Rúben Dias is the opposite of existentialism, he does not think or consider the consequences of his actions, he acts. And so it must go on, because if one day he realizes what he is achieving with his youth, it may be that he will be martyred as Kierkegaard did.
Photograph by Imago.
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