Antonio Rudiger is officially no longer a Chelsea player as Real Madrid confirmed the signing of the German defender on Thursday, June 2, 2022.
Weeks before the 2021-2022 Premier League season ended on May 22, it was totally clear that the Germany international would not extend his stay at Chelsea beyond this summer.
Before his contract with Chelsea expired, the Premier League club tried to extend the contract of the charismatic defender but the two parties failed to agree on wages.
Amid the back and forth, the UK government sanctioned the club’s former owner, Roman Abramovich due to his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin who ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Due to the sanction, Chelsea was banned from doing any financial transactions including extending players’ contracts.
Hence, Antonio Rudiger decided to exit the club amid strong interest from Real Madrid. The negotiations between the German defender and the Spanish giants went so smoothly that the deal was set before the season ended.
What is the contract between Real Madrid and Antonio Rudiger?
During Antonio Rudiger’s time at Chelsea, the German defender was earning £115,385 per week. When his contract was about to expire this summer, the German wanted about an £11 million per year deal from Chelsea but the club was not willing to offer it to the 29-year-old German defender.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, Real Madrid was willing to give Rudiger a lucrative offer that will reportedly earn him a whopping €400,000 per week, almost three times what he used to earn at Chelsea.
Antonio Rudiger signed a four-year deal with Real Madrid which means that the Germany international is expected to stay at the Spanish club until June 30, 2026.
✍️👕 @ToniRuediger will be unveiled as a @realmadriden player on Monday 20 June at 12 noon (CEST) at #RMCity.#WelcomeRüdiger pic.twitter.com/Vg1XZBPcuL
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 2, 2022
A statement from the club read: “Real Madrid C.F. have reached an agreement to sign Antonio Rüdiger, who joins the club on a four-year deal.
“Rüdiger will be unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Monday 20 June at noon (CET) at Real Madrid City.”
👋 #WelcomeRüdiger 👋 pic.twitter.com/z7w28u6T6i
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 2, 2022
While the footballer tweeted: “I’m proud to announce that I’ll be joining Real Madrid. I’m super excited for all the challenges ahead and can’t wait to play my first games for this huge club.”
What was Rudiger’s achievement at Chelsea?
Antonio Rudiger joined Chelsea from AS Roma on July 9, 2017, for a transfer fee worth €35 million. Since then, the German defender scored 12 goals and provided 7 assists in 203 games in all competitions.
Rudiger helped Chelsea to win one UEFA Champions League, one FIFA Club World Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one Europa League, and one FA Cup.
In his last season at Chelsea, Rudiger made 54 appearances in which he scored five goals and provided four assists in all competitions. He was the only Chelsea player that was named to the 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League team of the season.
A statement from Chelsea read: “Chelsea Football Club thanks Toni for his contribution to our success over the last five years and wishes him well in his future career.
“He departs with 203 appearances and 12 goals to his name, in that time establishing his Chelsea of the most passionate characters to represent the club in recent memory.”
☄️ Can’t wait to see you in action, @ToniRuediger!#WelcomeRüdiger pic.twitter.com/5BDNqgAJ80
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 2, 2022
