Antonio Rudiger says he would not have left Chelsea for any other club than Real Madrid this summer – and the German star has opened up on the conflicting emotions he felt during the Champions League quarter-final meeting between the two sides last season.
Rudiger arrived at Stamford Bridge from Roma in the summer of 2017 but it wasn't until Thomas Tuchel's appointment as Chelsea head coach that he blossomed into one of European football's standout central defenders. The 29-year-old thrived on the left of Tuchel's back three and was hugely influential as the Blues claimed the 2021 Champions League.
Yet Rudiger's hugely impressive turnaround left Chelsea in a difficult position. With his contract expiring at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, the risk of losing the defender on a free transfer became genuine. Talks were held over a new deal and Rudiger was offered a contract in excess of £200,000 a week by the previous Blues hierarchy.
