The 29-year-old featured throughout alongside Renato Veiga as Joao Felix's first-half goal decided the Nations League opener.

It has been a solid start to the season for the Man City captain, who has played every minute of his team's winning start to the Premier League season.

Dias' form in the last two seasons has suffered as he has struggled with injuries, but he looks to be getting back towards the best levels that followed his 2020 move from Benfica.

After a disappointing World Cup that saw them knocked out by eventual winners Spain in the round of 16, Portugal have started a new chapter.

Jorge Jesus was appointed on a four-year deal in July, replacing Roberto Martinez after three-and-a-half years under the guidance of the former Everton manager.

Portugal media hail Ruben Dias

It was ultimately a comfortable victory for Portugal against Wales, with Dias and the home defence allowing just one shot on target.

But there was still plenty of defending to be done, and the Man City man was key to the clean sheet.

Winning all of his duels, Dias was dominant in defence. He made a block, a clearance and two recoveries, providing a calm and secure presence at the back.

And he was impressive on the ball, too, completing more passes than anybody else on the pitch - 81 - and finding his mark with four of his seven attempted long balls.

Dias' moment of the match came when his quick thinking allowed him to get in place to clear Lewis Koumas' shot off the line, however.

Portuguese outlet A Bola described the moment as a "miracle". "He made a great miracle save when the ball hit the crossbar of the Portuguese goal and, with Diogo Costa out of position, he made a timely clearance off the goal line from Koumas' shot. Otherwise, absolute composure," they wrote.

Dias enjoying life under Enzo Maresca

Dias is still not quite the dominant force he was once known as, but he is certainly on the path to becoming that player once more.

The defender was excellent against Wales and a continuation of that form will be key to any success Man City have under Enzo Maresca this season.

"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 Enzo's idea," Dias said earlier this month.

"I feel like everything is making a lot of sense. Everyone is buying into the idea. Everyone's excited about it and there is a lot of joy in training, which is massively important."

Bombshell reports on Friday confirmed that an independent panel had found City guilty of breaking 114 of the 115 financial charges brought against them by the Premier League.

The Citizens have maintained their innocence since legal proceedings began in 2023, and they continue to deny all wrongdoing as an appeal process begins.

Focus will soon turn back to their on-field fortunes after the international break, with Enzo Maresca aiming to win silverware in his first season at the helm at the Etihad Stadium.

As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast, they are unlikely to enter the market midway through this season despite concerns over his defensive depth.

Maresca criticised his side's defending as they shipped three goals at home to Sunderland last time out, but remains content with the options at his disposal.

Man City unlikely to sign a new defender in the January window

City did not hold back in the last January transfer window as they signed Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi for a combined initial £82.5million.

Maresca may well be concerned about their defensive security across the campaign, yet other issues are set to stop them entering the market to bolster his backline.

Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: "As a defence, they'll be looking to get more clean sheets, but they're so well stocked defensively they've got two players for each position, really.

"I don't think they'll jump into the transfer market in January to improve their defence, because they've got the players there who can step up and get clean sheets and improve that defensive record. I don't think that will be a priority for Man City in the January window."

Insider reveals likely outcome as City face Premier League charges

City's transfer plans will likely need to be shelved altogether as they battle a string of legal issues away from the pitch.

Fans and pundits have debated what their punishment could be if they are found guilty of over 100 charges after going through the appeal process.

Former Everton and Aston Villa CEO, Keith Wyness, has told Football Insider that City should expect a 50-point deduction next season as their appeal is "certain" to lose.

The comment comes following the emergence of a long-awaited verdict in the Premier League's case against the Citizens, which found them guilty of 114 financial breaches.

The charges were brought against Man City in February 2023, with an independent commission's hearing having ended in December 2024.

An appeal is expected to follow in the coming days, although there remains plenty that will not be known until the commission release an official verdict.

Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak released a statement on Saturday reiterating the club's innocence and confidence in a positive result.

Yet if the Citizens are indeed found guilty and appeals fail, they will be vulnerable to punishments varying from fines and point deductions to expulsion from the Premier League itself.

Linda Pizzuti Henry posts Man City shot

Should Man City lose their appeal, it will not be seen as the end of the court proceedings surrounding this case - it is very much the opposite.

Numerous clubs will subsequently submit cases against the Citizens, claiming for losses suffered through relegation, missing out on European competitions, losing out on trophies and so much more over the last 14 seasons. The eventual total could land in the hundreds of millions.

Liverpool will certainly be in that conversation, and will feel that Man City's breaches cost them multiple Premier League trophies.

The Reds finished second to the Citizens in 2013-14, 2018-19 and 2021-22, and will certainly have a claim in cup competitions, too, if they are included.

The sentiment at Anfield was summed up when by Henry's Instagram story on Friday, which included BBC Sport's reporting of the verdict and the caption: "114. Unprecedented."

Fiery clash takes new twist

What promised to be a fiery clash already has taken on new significance in the last 48 hours.

Man City will return from the international break with a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool, who will be hungry off the back of this week's news.

One can already imagine the atmosphere awaiting the Citizens, which will push them to their limits.

And Henry's story suggests the battle may not just take place on the pitch and in the stands, but in the boardroom, too.

But very few would have expected the journey that the Citizens have been on ever since, going on to lift eight Premier League trophies, one Champions League and four FA Cups.

The silverware didn't stop there, and Man City also went on to sign some of the game's most talented players, such as Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, and more recently, Erling Haaland.

Thanks to the ambition show by the Abu Dhabi ownership, Man City have become one of the most prestigious clubs in the world.

But now it all feels like a bit of lie and Khaldoon Mubarak's lawyer-drafted letter to fans on Saturday doesn't change that. In fact, doubling down makes things even worse. The half-truths and double talk must end.

Sure, nothing can take away from the fans that watched Aguero's history-defining goal against QPR, or Rodri's goal in Istanbul, but the trophies can certainly be stripped away.

Man City's titles could be fairly stripped

During a nine-year period between 2009-10 and 2017-18, City's owners have racked up an eye-watering amount of breaches, which have finally resulted in a guilty verdict.

Speaking to Football Insider, Keith Wyness believes that the 10-time Premier League champions could be slapped with a 50-point deduction.

Of course, nothing is confirmed yet, but with City being found guilty of 114 of their 115 charges from the Premier League, the club are starring down the barrel.

Premier League rivals are furious, and rightly so, as Man City undoubtedly gained an advantage on the pitch thanks to actions behind the scenes.

Understandably, fans are in favour of having the Citizens stripped of their titles, and it is difficult to argue against when such big counts of cheating have been uncovered.

Man City's owners have serious questions to answer

Nobody needs to ask the owners why they did this. They wanted to make Man City the biggest and greatest club in world football, but without all the waiting.

Money and profit, undoubtedly, will have played a huge factor, but now the supporters are being thrown into the unknown as legal battles continue.

Every Man City fan will have an awful feeling at the pit of their stomach. And what now? Wait to be relegated? Lose all our best players and face a transfer ban?

It's a dark time in the club's history, and the blame ultimately lands at the feet of the owners. Where will they be if Man City are playing League Two football next season?