The first call was in September, but it wasn’t until Antonio Rüdiger picked up the phone in April that he decided to join Real Madrid, the former Chelsea defender has revealed.
His fate had not been determined when he first visited the Santiago Bernabeu, defeated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but by the time Real played the final against Liverpool it was done. A conversation with Carlo Ancelotti assured him, the defender said that Barcelona called but informed his agent: “Is it Madrid or nothing”.
In his presentation, the German center-back said he had started contacting clubs at the start of his last season at Stamford Bridge, a search that ended with his move to Madrid. He mentioned the former Brazilian striker Ronaldo and spoke of another former player, Pepe, as a role model, but that was not what finally tipped the scales. It was the manager who decided.
“The first time I got in touch with them, not really me, but my agent, was in September last year,” he said. “The second time was when I spoke directly with Ancelotti in April. It was the most important moment. That’s where I made the decision to play at this club with Mr. Ancelotti. He told me he could help a lot. team and that’s enough. Of course now that there’s competition here, it’s Real Madrid. “
When asked if this made it difficult for Real to face Chelsea in April, Rüdiger replied: “To be honest, it was easy. At that time nothing was clear. And even if there were some Of course, even if I ended up signing and coming here, it’s important to be professional and at that time my goal was to knock out Madrid, but unfortunately we couldn’t, but it was easy for me to stay focused.
“What Madrid did in the Champions League I can’t describe: incredible, incredible. In the end he knew he would play for Madrid, so he supported them and was delighted that they would win. My old team had lost two finals [in the League Cup and the FA Cup]and it’s good to keep winning. “
The Fiver – Sign up and receive our daily football email.
Rüdiger adds depth and height to Real. Aggression and competitiveness too, saying “you never know what’s coming to me – I can dance or laugh, but on the pitch I’m very serious. I don’t like to joke there. “
Asked who he most identifies with, he made an unexpected but thought-provoking choice. “Obviously there are a lot of power stations upstairs, upstairs and upstairs, but if I had to choose one, I would say Pepe: I really like his character. And off the field he is a nice guy. In that, he’s a monster and I love that, ”he said.“ What I can offer in the locker room is my fighting spirit, my leadership: that’s what I hope will be my contribution, but Rome didn’t build in one day “.