Antonio Rüdiger (29) plays for Real Madrid, the German national team, side by side with the best footballers in the world. A career that he himself would not have dared to dream of before!
In an interview with the Spanish sports newspaper “AS‘ says the centre-back: ‘I thought Real Madrid would never happen to me. It just didn’t even cross my mind.”
But when his contract with Chelsea expired in 2022, numerous top clubs suddenly tried to get the native of Berlin – including the royals. Rüdiger says: “I couldn’t have imagined it before because, to be honest, playing in the Premier League has always been the biggest dream of my life. (…) It was incredibly good at Chelsea. And when you realize at some point that Madrid really want you, you say: Wow! When I came here everything was great, everything is spectacular…”
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Pigeon attack on Brady game
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When he decided to move to Real, Rüdiger was in London with his brother and advisor Sahr Senesie. He says: “He was the one who told me. I could not believe it! I still can’t explain how I felt. I still get goosebumps.”
The defender, who is on a title hunt with the German national team in Qatar, reveals that there were many interested parties but only two serious candidates: “Obviously there were more teams, but I only considered two, Chelsea and Real Madrid. In London I had worked very hard for the last five years and had achieved a certain status. That was it, or Madrid.”
Rüdiger reveals that FC Barcelona has also advertised for his services: “They knocked on my door, they did. But for me that wasn’t an option. Like I said, Madrid wasn’t even a dream for me because it seemed out of reach… If you look at the names that have played here: Zidane, Ronaldo, Cristiano… To have the opportunity to play with Playing Modric, Kroos or Benzema… It was hard to say no.”
One of his great role models also played for the royals for a long time: the tough Portuguese central defender Pepe (39)! Rüdiger says: “I just really like him. There are a lot of people who think he’s too aggressive, but I think he’s an excellent footballer. And I’ve always seen that in him. (…) I heard he’s a great guy off the pitch, very calm… But on the pitch he’s… well, a different person. For me he was one of the top 3 central defenders of this generation.”
