“I’m not a footballer to make friends,” he says. Antonio Rdigerin the second part of his interview with Sport1, to make it clear that he is a different footballer. The Real Madrid center-back tried to explain to the German medium what his football style is like when he steps on the pitch, the tricks he performs to win the mental battle against his rivals…and his anger at Qatar’s designation to host the World Cup.
A very warrior footballer
“Since I was a child my parents called me ‘Warrior’, because if there is a wall, I will hit it ten times but end up going through it. I didn’t become a professional footballer to be everyone’s friend. I know I can’t be liked by everyone. I like to be awkward“.
His tricks to stop the rival
“It happened to me at the beginning of my career, it cost me several red cards at Stuttgart. My family got me out of that. They wanted to send me to talk to someone, but it’s the wrong way to approach me, I don’t like to talk to strangers about my feelings. I have already matured a lot. Because of my age and because of my children. I have more sense of responsibility. I love it and I need to play mind games with my rivals, also use trash talk. It’s fun. I like to analyze my rivals and think about how they will react if I provoke them a bit. It’s not that I choose them before the games, it happens spontaneously. In the end, football is entertainment. And you’re not going to see me dribble past five or six like Vinicius. I do it differently”
Rdiger leaving Mariano dry, this guy is a wall!
Qatar hosts the World Cup
“Granting it was not a decision made for the fans and the players. It was shown that money plays a crucial role in the world of football. I see the debate about a boycott as something that has to be carried out by the institutions, not the players. Of course we have to have a critical vision and we have done it”
Germany and the favorites
“It’s the goal, but I see other passes ahead at the moment. I’m not hiding and I’m not going to go around saying that we’re the big favourites. Covering paper may not be bad. France and Brazil have very good individualities. They are a bit ahead of us. What distinguishes us in Germany is cohesion. If we die, we all die in the field. That mentality in the field”
And after football…
“I don’t know if I can make it until I’m 40. When God says it’s over, it’s over. Then I will be able to dedicate myself to my business and to myself. I look forward to a long and successful career and after that, I don’t think I’ll be in the football business anymore. I want to be a child again and take back the things I couldn’t do. Go to the park and have fun. I have never been to Disneyland because my parents couldn’t afford it., so I never asked him. One day I will take you with my children”
