Newsletter

Joining Real Madrid, Antonio Rudiger Immediately Made ‘Keder’ with Ronaldo

The German defender received congratulations from his idol after officially joining Los Blancos

Antonio Rudiger said he was “very nervous” when his idol, Ronaldo, congratulated him on joining Real Madrid.

The German national team defender has officially joined The whites for free last June 2 after his contract expired at Chelsea. He has signed a four-year contract with Carlo Ancelotti’s men and will wear Isco’s legacy number 22.

Rudiger actually has a pretty flashy CV. He won the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup during his five years at Stamford Bridge. But these achievements still make him ‘awesome’ when dealing with his idol, Ronaldo.

The legendary Brazilian striker is considered one of the best players ever. He won 13 trophies at club level and won two World Cups with the Samba Team. He also won the 1997 and 2002 Ballon d’Or.

Ronaldo spent a fruitful spell at Madrid between 2002 and 2007, scoring 104 goals in 177 games.

Ronaldo Real Madrid

Getty Images

Therefore, it’s no exaggeration for Rudiger to laud him. “Ronaldo plays in the final [Piala Dunia] against Germany in 2002 with a very distinctive hairstyle,” said the former AS Roma defender on Real’s official website.

“When we were kids, we played football in the streets, Ronaldo was our idol. When I joined [dengan Real Madrid] I chatted with him through video call. I’m very happy but also very nervous!”

Rudiger joins the European champions, who beat Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League final last May. He hopes to bring more success to the La Liga giants over the next four years – Big Ears included.

Article continues below

Rudiger added: “It was an honor to play for Carlo Ancelotti. I believe I can still learn a lot from him, and hope he can help me win the Champions League again here.”

Rudiger admits Ancelotti played a big role in luring him to move to Madrid. Several clubs are reportedly interested in signing him, including Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel, also wants to keep him.

“Ancelotti, the manager, played a big role,” admits RUdiger. “After I spoke with him I was sure I wanted to join Real Madrid. But in general, everything that this club symbolizes has been proven.”

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending