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

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 player has been praised for his consistent performances by many former defenders and also has many admirers in the game.

Every year, 252 Bundesliga players take part in referendums in various categories.Some relate to the league, others to football in general – one is the best defender in the world today.and, according to Kicker, Dias won a landslide overall. 312% voted for ‘other’ or chose not to attend at all, but the three-time Premier League winner received 24.2% of the vote.

Real Madriddefender David Alaba, former Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich, finished second with 9.9%, just ahead of teammate Antonio Ruediger (7.9%) and Virgil van Dijk (6%).

City’s added presence comes from England’s John Stones (5.2%) and Kyle Walker (4%), shared only by RB Leipzig’s top defensive goalkeeper Josko Gvardiol.

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.