Rúben Dias - The Football Interview

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0:30up at Whole Foods Market. Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Roof repair? Done well. Kitchen sink install? Done well. Deck upgrades? Done well. Electrical upgrade? Done well. Angie's been connecting homeowners with skilled pros for nearly 30 years, so we know the difference between done and done well. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project at Angie.com. The Football Interview on the Football Daily Podcast. He's a Portuguese international who has won everything here at Manchester City.

1:13He signed a new contract at the club last summer, meaning he is a focal point of a new look side under Enzo Maresca. Welcome to the Football Interview, Ruben Diaz. Shall we start with what's life like under Enzo Maresca? It's good. It is exciting. many different details that in a way make the whole situation different but at the same time still very much of things that we used to believe in in order to put our game into place and to attack a team and to be ourselves but obviously these details make it very different and obviously we're buying into them a lot they make sense and we're just affecting them as much as we can every that goes by.

1:55Tell me about these details, what does he do differently? I can't tell you too much. You don't have to give me all of your tactics but maybe he approaches training sessions differently, maybe talks to you differently. Yeah I mean there's obviously many things from training session to some details about the way we press, details about the way we defend and that make all of these his and makes it Enzo's idea. I feel like everything is making a lot of sense, everyone's buying into the idea, everyone's excited about it. I mean there's a lot of joy in training which is an important thing. As we walked across here I joked with you that you've lost all of your friends because it hasn't just been Pep Guardiola that's left has it?

2:34We spoke to Bernardo Silva last season he said you were his best mate here he's gone so many players have gone what's that been like for you? It's sad in a way because obviously we was more than colleagues we were most of us we were very very good friends and close friends and we won so much together so there's many memories involved but at the end of the day it's the life it's football so we need to adapt we need to move forward we need to create new connections when I come here I didn't know any of them and now it's a moment where so many new players have joined and it's time to build these connections and be strong again.

3:06And you're one of the leaders as well in this squad how has it changed your role the fact that you're one of the last ones standing I suppose one of the players that won so much here? I've been in the group of captains since after my first season. You've lost most of them now. You're one of the only ones left, aren't you? Yeah, but in terms of the role I have, it goes down to trying to be the best version of yourself. And in terms of that, nothing has changed. Now, obviously, so many people have left and so many winners have left. And now new people have joined with a lot of ambition and people that are dying desperate to win.

3:41and that's also what makes the club keep on going. Has it almost rejuvenated you, re-excited you about the possibility of being part of this rebuild? Yeah, I mean, everything ends up exciting you and last season when I signed my new contract, I signed it because I was already excited about staying here and looking forward to however many years I'll stay and you got to enjoy every single second of it and every training session. the joy of being here, the joy of being available and being in this context where you can win everything and you've got a club to match your ambition. It's an opportunity few people have in their lives and I'm here for it.

4:20Let's go inside and talk a little bit more about that joy and some of the moments that have come. Let's go. So has this summer of change given you an opportunity to reflect on everything that you and the squad achieved under Pep Guardiola? Yeah, I mean, for sure, but then you just move forward. I knew you were going to say that. I can tell from your mentality, you always want to look forward. I feel like maybe I'll do more of that when I finish my career a little bit. But then as well, there's going to be other things that will keep my mind working. But now it's obviously being appreciative of everything that happened.

4:54Smile while looking at it because it was beautiful. But then look forward and be excited for what's coming. There were so many high points under Peppers. I came here and I was thinking about what to ask you. I was like, how do you ask someone that's won everything what the highlight has been? Is there a moment that really stands out to you that's been particularly special here? I mean, the highest mountain was definitely the treble season. After the Champions League, after winning the Premier League, then you win the FA Cup, it builds up. You would think if we win a Premier League, it's already unbelievable.

5:25If we just win a Champions League, it's unbelievable. But then to win the three of them and then to be on that final game, knowing that all of that is at stake and when you do it, It was probably the most emotional I've felt in my life, yeah. Really? Just because of the magnitude of it? Not even emotional as in about crying, just the amount of feelings that were going through my mind and the realisation of everything that happened. And bear in mind this was my third Premier League in a row and my first season when I came, all the talk and all the things that go through a player's mind in his first season.

6:06And I had the joy to win a Premier League in my first. But then as well, after to win four Premier Leagues in a row, which I felt like it was a great achievement. I mean, there's many moments, but definitely, I would say, the treble, that was the pinnacle. Do you think we've perhaps seen since just what an incredible achievement it really is? Because there was talk last season of could Arsenal do it, but no one's actually really come that close. Do you think now we all appreciate just how big an achievement it was? Yeah, I mean history told you so. Only one team had done it before. So that just tells you how difficult it actually is to pull off, to be able to be successful in all of them at the same time in this country, in this league.

6:49But again, it's in the past, it's beautiful. And in this time, I believe I'll look back at it and be very happy with it. but now I'm just very much in the moment and just enjoying every second of what's coming. I can tell you just want to look forward but I am interested in your backstory as well because we talk a lot about one club players, they're so rare but two club players are pretty rare as well and that's pretty much what you are isn't it? Benfica and Manchester City. Yeah I mean I grew up in Benfica and I had three amazing years in the first team and it was amazing to have the opportunity and then you reach a certain level at Benfica where you want to reach the sky and I came here for it.

7:33And this club has allowed all those ambitions and dreams to be possible, to become a reality. So I will obviously forever be grateful to both of them. And yeah, I mean, they shaped without a doubt who I am. You mentioned that you were at Benfica through all of the age groups. How did you start in football? What kind of were your earliest memories of it? My parents, my dad, he never really wanted me or my brother to play football because he was a football kind of person. He was in it and he knew a lot of people that were in the world and he always saw it very rotten. So he just, as much as he, I mean, he didn't push us away, but he didn't pull us into it.

8:20So we were doing all sorts from karate. we were swimming a lot and just trying different stuff and uh you any good at anything else yeah i mean i feel like i'm good at different things but i was obviously better at football but then even one time in school a friend of mine asked me to join this club uh serelda madora which was my first club um from where i was born and uh they were recruiting players at that time and i was just playing in school and because i was good in school the guy told me hey do you want to come do a trial and then I asked my dad and then he was like are you guys sure like if you're going in like go full in I'll support you whatever but be sure of the decision you're making and now it's just me and my brother we were just completely diving into it so so yeah eight years old uh we started and then yeah I was two years at Cerro de Amador and then I went to Benfica what did your dad think of it all now he must be quite pleased that you almost went against him to come into this world?

9:21Not really against him. He was always happy that we was adamant of pursuing what we wanted to pursue and when football became something we both really wanted he just supported it full on and I have a lot to thank him and my mum because they they were the most supportive parents without being obsessed. They were not obsessed by the idea of me or my brother becoming a footballer and as such than having a certain life they were just obsessed and supportive of us enjoying life and doing things that we liked and being happy um that's why my dad never really pushed us into football because he was just like guys just be happy be free spirits and just enjoy life and uh but then obviously when we uh got a bit more serious about it then he also made us learn what it means to sacrifice in order to pursue a dream and obviously to be connected and to have responsibility towards something and obviously that was gradual but it was a process that happened and obviously happened in a very successful way because I believe both me and my brother more than good at anything that we might do we're both very good-hearted people and with good values that were most definitely instructed by my mom and dad so I feel like at the end of the day that's the biggest victory and even now I got two days off I managed to go to my dad's small town where he's from and I could see how happy he was for both of us being there in this moment of our lives where we could just maybe not really be interested about it but we was there other 50 members of the family were there and it was just beautiful yeah.

10:59Are you quite a deep thinker? Yeah I would say I am yeah. I can tell from all of your answers like everything's so in depth it feels like do you feel this deeply and think this deeply about football and the rest of life do you think about everything a lot yeah I mean I feel like I'm a good intense person towards life uh towards my personal life towards work I mean I'm intense on the beach I feel like it's very easy to see but it's because I do the things I believe in and uh and I do them with uh with all my heart I put everything on it and um and yeah I feel like that's the way life is worth living So if you're going to do something, you're going all in?

11:36Yeah. But I also know when to relax and when to not give too much importance to something that doesn't deserve it. How do you relax? How do you unwind? Because you've said you're intense on the pitch, but you also know the importance of enjoying life. How do you get away from it all? I mean, I'm quite easy. I love to be home. I love to watch movies. I love my shows. I love to be surrounded by my family. I spend a lot of time alone in Manchester and I love to just get out of training, get home and just peace and quiet. I mean, I'm very happy with the most simple things. As long as I'm at peace and peace with myself, I'm cool.

12:15Knowing that I'm doing the best possible I can in every angle of my life, I'm cool. I love when my family's around though. Are your family over here or do you not get to see them? No, they're not here now. That must be tough. It's cool because I also enjoy my own company and I feel like that's a very important step for one to have. I'll go to dinner by myself, I'll go to the movies by myself and I enjoy it. Cool. It's nice not to have to answer to anyone sometimes. Just do what you enjoy. Even when you're with family, I feel like one of the biggest joys of being with family is that you know you can be in the same room without saying anything and you will enjoy it so much just because you're in that level of comfort.

12:48so yeah it feels like I mean you're going to hit 30 next year aren't you yeah there's nothing wrong with that by the way I'm in my 30s it's great but it feels like you're very at peace you've achieved so much but you've still got so much left that you want to do yeah I feel like at peace yes that translates my translates a lot my moment but I'm excited about all of this and all the the things with the club the new manager new players the new challenge guys that I was so close with leaving. It's the law of life, the circle of life, you can call it. And it's just how things are and I'm appreciative of all of it.

13:27I'm appreciative of the memories I have with all the ones that left and I'm excited about the memories I'm going to make with the ones that have just arrived. And I'm still very ambitious. I took the decision of being at this level because I feel like I've won so much but maybe the thing that would be my biggest reward would be to be so many years playing at this level and having the consistency of being ambitious for so long. So, yeah, I'm excited. I think excited is the word. I checked, and your birthday's in May. That could be some party, couldn't it? When all the trophies happen, that's where City normally are, and you'll be 30 as well.

14:06Perfect way to celebrate. I mean, I'm not too funny about my birthday. I don't like being the centre of attention, so I'm very casual. Well, I've told everyone about it now. Sorry about that. yeah I mean anyway it doesn't really matter because I'm not too funny about it I'll be happy with the dinner with my family we went this last birthday my parents and my brother they came here for my birthday I took them to the restaurant the restaurant was empty we still had a great time though okay well maybe if you don't want a big party you'd love a trophy to celebrate your 30th yeah for sure for sure well good luck with it and enjoy whatever celebrations you have thank you

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