Former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has congratulated Real Madrid teammates Thibaut Courtois and Karim Benzema for their awards at the 2022 Ballon d'Or ceremony. The former picked up the Yashin Trophy as the latter lifted the Ballon d'Or for the first time in his career.
The Germany international has enjoyed his ongoing spell alongside Courtois and Benzema at the Santiago Bernabeu since arriving on a free transfer in the summer. Rudiger saw his deal at Stamford Bridge expire and, despite months of negotiations over a new one, he penned a four-year contract with Los Blancos.
He's featured 14 times for the Spanish giants and his impressive displays have steered Carlo Ancelotti's side to top of La Liga. Rudiger has also already won his new club silverware having played a key role in lifting the UEFA Super Cup - again - alongside Courtois and Benzema.
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Taking to Instagram following the ceremony, the 29-year-old congratulated the former Chelsea's goalkeeper. Rudiger wrote: "100% deserved! Congrats bro! #bestgoalkeeper."
And, on Benzema, he wrote: "Alhamdulillah. Big congrats bro!"
Rudiger featured 202 times for the Blues during his five-year tenure and, despite a shaky start, he quickly grew into a pillar of Chelsea's success. football.london understands that the defender passed on a new deal which would have made him the highest-paid defender in the club's history.
He was reportedly demanding a large signing-on fee for a new contract, along with agents' fees, effectively putting the deal out of reach for the west Londoners. Jorginho and N'Golo Kante are both set to leave at the end of the season and, with the west Londoners yet to extend either of their futures, the club could encounter a similar fate.
After seeing how well Rudiger has done since soughing pastures new, the Chelsea duo could be inclined to seek exits. But, with Graham Potter's recent waves of injuries in mind, Todd Boehly is under pressure to ensure that the club's midfield options don't run dry.
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