Rúben Dias was born on 14 May 1997 in Amadora, Portugal. He was formed entirely at Benfica, joining the under-17 side in 2012 and moving up through the B team, where he played in the second tier, before establishing himself in the first team from 2017/18.

He became a mainstay of the Benfica defence and won the Primeira Liga in 2018/19. He renewed his contract on 29 November 2019 in a deal running to 2024. His involvement in the period covered here was brief: he played in the opening weeks of 2020/21 under Jorge Jesus before Manchester City signed him on 29 September 2020 for a reported 68 million euros, at the time a record sale for a Portuguese club defender.

At Manchester City he won the Premier League repeatedly and the 2022/23 Champions League, and was named the Premier League's Player of the Season in his first year. He is an established Portugal international and was part of the squad that won the UEFA Nations League.