Three years after leaving Chelsea, German defender Antonio Rudiger is relishing life as a Real Madrid player in the Spanish flight.
From Vfb Stuttgart, Roma, Chelsea, and now Real Madrid, Rudiger has established himself as one of the best defenders in Europe. He caught the attention of the European giants following standout performances for Chelsea in the English top flight. His Chelsea exit came more as a surprise to the Blues’ faithfuls having cemented his place in the squad following a five-season spell.
It has been two years since he left and of course, he still reserves a lot of respect for the London Club, having spent a huge chunk of his career with them.
He demonstrated this in his recent interview with The Players’ Tribune in which he beamed searchlights on why he exited the club in 2022.
Antonio Rudiger on why he left Chelsea
According to Rudiger, it was not his intention to leave Chelsea as he still had a good relationship with the club’s hierarchy, including the fans.
However, what he couldn’t put up with was the delay in his contract renewal talks. Rudiger signed a five-year contract with Chelsea in 2017. At the end of the 2021- 22 season, he was running out of the deal. Being one of the best players in the squad, the club were expected to initiate contract renewal talks to keep him but that was not done.
Rudiger revealed the delay in contract renewal talks forced him to look for alternatives. He added that Real Madrid had indicated interest in signing him amidst the uncertainties that enshrouded his future at Stamford Bridge and he swiftly opted for the chance to leave.
“There was a massive period of no talks, sometimes you have in your mind okay let’s not get injured but I didn’t do this, I was still playing at my best.
“I also knew in my mind that the Champions League we won could be my ticket to the biggest club in the world, Real Madrid does not come knocking often,” he said.
Apart from the delay in contract talks, Rudiger added that sanctions by the UK government on Chelsea also played a part in his decision to leave.
Recall Chelsea were on the verge of losing their operating license as a Football Club in England due to a dragging takeover saga in 2022.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led the UK government to forcefully strip Russian investor Roman Abramovic of his ownership of the club for alleged ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This led to a takeover problem which nearly saw the club go out of business. Should Chelsea have lost their operating license in the course of the faceoff between the UK government and the former Chelsea hierarchy led by Abramovich, the impact on players’ careers would have been devastating.
It is believed such externalities played a role in the departure of former players like Rudiger, whose contract was expiring in 2022. Rudiger referenced this problem in his interview but added he has no ill-feeling of any sort against the club.
Rudiger on the toughest opponents he played against
Away from his infamous Chelsea exit, Rudiger also revealed the best player he has played with and against in his career.
According to him, his toughest opponent was former Manchester City and Barcelona forward Sergio Aguero. In his words, Aguero remains the ‘toughest human being’ he has played with.
“For me, the striker who gave me a lot of headache was Kun Aguero. That guy was really tough to play against, really tough.”
Rudiger came head-on with Sergio Aguero when the pair were playing in the Premier League. They shared the stage in the English top flight from 2017 to 2021 before Aguero left for Barcelona.
The prolific forward was one of the best Manchester City and Premier League forwards. He scored 184 goals in 275 Premier League appearances in his 10-year spell with City.
Antonio Rudiger on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Rudiger described Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as out of this world. According to him, the pair are the best players in the world. Although he didn’t come on frequently against the duo, he felt their brilliance each time he clashed with them.
“Like, I could say Messi or Ronaldo, but for me, they are from a different planet, so we go with human beings.”
The German international had a chance to square up against Cristiano Ronaldo when the latter returned to Manchester United from Juventus I. 2021. He also played against Lionel Messi during Chelsea’s European matches with Barcelona in the Champions League.
Antonio Rudiger on the best teammates he has played with
Aside from opponents who gave him headache, Rudiger also revealed the best teammates he has played.
According to him, he would have gone for Luka Modric or Toni Kroos but he prefers French footballer Karim Benzema He described the former Real Madrid forward as one of the best and most intelligent strikers.
“No, Karim Benzema. I could say, I could have said a lot. You know I could have mentioned Luka Modric, like Tony Kroos and Eden Hazard, but I have to go with Karim Benzema because he was a hell of a striker. His intelligence is wow! World Class,” he said.
Rudiger shared the stage with Karim Benzema from 2022 to 2023 before the latter moved to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in 2023.
Rudiger asks Real Madrid to sign Arsenal defender
Apart from Sergio Aguero, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Lionel Messi, Rudiger picked one footballer he would love his club to sign.
According to him, Arsenal defender William Saliba is a defender par excellence who he would like to play together at Real Madrid.
Notably, he said with much respect to his Real Madrid defensive partner Eder Militao. According to him Militao recently returned from the sidelines and Real Madrid could be better off bringing in Saliba for rotational purposes in the defence.
“I’m very happy with my CB partner, Militao. He came back from a big injury, he’s getting back to his best.
“But there’s so many games, so we would rotate, so to have Saliba… it would be great,” he said.
Saliba has been impressive with Arsenal since the 2022-23 season. He has been a towering figure in the Gunners’ defence since the club started challenging for the Premier League title.
