Antonio Rüdiger

Antonio Rüdiger (born 3 March 1993) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Germany national team. He is known for his aggressive playing style, tackling ability and strong aerial presence.[4][5][6]

Antonio Rüdiger
Rüdiger with Germany in 2018
Personal information
Full name Antonio Rüdiger[1]
Date of birth (1993-03-03) 3 March 1993[2]
Place of birth Berlin, Germany
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Real Madrid
Number 22
Youth career
2000–2002 VfB Sperber Neukölln
2002–2005 SV Tasmania Berlin
2005–2006 Neuköllner Sportfreunde 1907
2006–2008 Hertha Zehlendorf
2008–2011 Borussia Dortmund
2011–2012 VfB Stuttgart
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2015 VfB Stuttgart II 22 (3)
2012–2016 VfB Stuttgart 66 (2)
2015–2016 → Roma (loan) 30 (2)
2016–2017 Roma 26 (0)
2017–2022 Chelsea 133 (9)
2022– Real Madrid 43 (1)
International career‡
2010–2011 Germany U18 8 (4)
2011–2012 Germany U19 14 (1)
2012 Germany U20 2 (0)
2012–2014 Germany U21 10 (1)
2014– Germany 64 (3)
Medal record
Representing  Germany
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner2017 Russia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:33, 21 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 03:05, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

Rüdiger began his career at VfB Stuttgart, representing their reserves in 3. Liga and the first team in the Bundesliga. In 2015 he joined Roma, initially on loan and a year later for a €9 million fee. He was signed by Chelsea in 2017 for an estimated £27 million, where he won the FA Cup in his first season, followed by the UEFA Europa League in his second season, and the UEFA Champions League in 2021. In 2022, Rüdiger signed for European champions Real Madrid.

He made his international debut for Germany in May 2014. He was forced to miss UEFA Euro 2016 due to an injury suffered earlier in the season but he was part of the squad that won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He kept his spot in the squad for the 2018 World Cup, and later also took part at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.

Club career

VfB Stuttgart
Rüdiger with VfB Stuttgart in 2012

On 23 July 2011, Rüdiger made his debut for VfB Stuttgart II in the 3. Liga against Arminia Bielefeld.[7] Subsequently on 29 January 2012, Rüdiger made his Bundesliga debut for VfB Stuttgart's first team in a home professional match against Borussia Mönchengladbach, he was replaced by Raphael Holzhauser in the 79th minute of a 3–0 defeat.[8]

The following year in April 2013, Rüdiger extended his contract with Stuttgart until June 2017.[9] On 1 June, he played in the final of the DFB-Pokal in a match lost 3–2 against Bayern Munich.[10] He finished his second season in the first team with 24 appearances, plus 4 appearances and 2 goals in the reserve team.[11]

Rüdiger finished the 2013–14 season with 35 appearances and 2 goals.[11] He finished the following season with only 20 appearances and one assist due to various injuries.[12][13]

Roma

On 19 August 2015, Serie A club Roma signed Rüdiger on loan from Stuttgart for €4 million. The clubs agreed on an optional €9 million transfer fee at the end of the one-year contract.[14]

On 12 September, he made his debut in a 2–0 away win over Frosinone.[15] On 9 January 2016 he scored his first goal for Roma in the 4th minute of a 1–1 home draw against Milan.[16] He finished his season-long loan to Roma with 37 appearances and 2 goals.[11] On 30 May, Roma officially signed Rüdiger from Stuttgart for €9 million + €0.5m bonuses on a four-year contract.[17]

On 23 February 2017, as a substitute replacing Kostas Manolas in the 46th minute of a 1–0 home defeat against Villarreal in the round of 32 of the UEFA Europa League, he was sent off with a double yellow card in the 81st minute.[18] On 30 April he was sent off with a red card in the 93rd minute in Derby della Capitale against Lazio in a 3–1 home defeat.[19] Rüdiger finished his second season at Roma with 35 appearances and four assists.[11]

Chelsea

On 9 July 2017, Rüdiger joined Chelsea from Roma for a reported initial fee of £29 million on a five-year deal.[20] He was given the number 2 shirt.[21] He made his debut on 6 August as a substitute replacing Marcos Alonso in the 79th minute in a 4–1 loss on penalties to Arsenal in the 2017 FA Community Shield.[22] He made his Premier League debut six days later in a 3–2 defeat against Burnley at Stamford Bridge.[23] He scored his first goal for Chelsea in the round of 16 of the EFL Cup in a 2–1 win over Everton,[24] and his first league goal was the only one of a home win over Swansea City on 29 November 2017.[25] On 20 October 2018, Rüdiger scored his first goal of the season, opening the scoring in a 2–2 home draw against Manchester United.[26]

On 22 December 2019, Rüdiger made a complaint about racist abuse directed against him during the away match against Tottenham Hotspur, which received wide media coverage.[27][28][29] It prompted a call for government action on racism in football.[30] However, no evidence of racist abuse against Rüdiger was found after a police investigation with the police eventually dismissing the case.[31]

Rüdiger playing for Chelsea in 2021

On his 100th club appearance, he scored Chelsea's two goals, both headers assisted by Mason Mount in a 2–2 draw against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on 1 February 2020.[32] On 29 May 2021, Rüdiger won his first-ever UEFA Champions League after Chelsea beat Manchester City 1–0 in the final at the Estádio do Dragão.[33] On 12 April 2022, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–2 away win over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the 2021–22 season; however, Chelsea were eliminated from the competition by losing 5–4 on aggregate.[34] On 20 May, Rüdiger announced officially that he would leave Chelsea after five years.[35]

Real Madrid

On 2 June 2022, Real Madrid announced that Rüdiger signed as a free agent for the club, penning a four-year deal starting with the 2022–23 season.[36][37] On 20 June 2022, Rüdiger was unveiled as a new Real Madrid player. He was given the number 22 shirt.[38] On 10 August, he made his debut for the club, coming off the bench in a 2–0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup.[39] His first goal came on 11 September 2022, scoring the last goal in a 4–1 win over Mallorca.[40] On 11 October, he scored a header in the 95th minute against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League group stage, which allowed his side to draw 1–1 and qualify for the knockout phase. While jumping for the header, Rüdiger collided with Shakhtar goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin and sustained a cut to the face that required 20 stitches.[41][42]

International career

Rüdiger was eligible to play for Germany and Sierra Leone, his mother's homeland[43] and was a member of several Germany national youth football teams up to the Germany U21 team.

He made his debut for the Germany national team on 13 May 2014 in a 0–0 draw against Poland.[44] Although he was initially included in his nation's 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016, Rüdiger was later ruled out of the tournament due to injury, after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session on 7 June.[45]

Rüdiger was part of the Germany national squad which won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. He played four matches in the tournament, including the 1–0 win over Chile in the final.[46] On 8 October 2017, he headed his first international goal in a 5–1 home win over Azerbaijan in World Cup qualifying.[47]

Rüdiger was included in Germany's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 4 June 2018.[48] On 23 June, he was picked up for the second group stage match against Sweden as first choice centre-back Mats Hummels suffered an injury, the game ended 2–1 win for Germany.[49][50] Four days later, he did not play the last group stage match and his side were knocked out by South Korea after a 2–0 defeat.[51] On 19 May 2021, Rüdiger was selected to the squad for the UEFA Euro 2020.[52] He played every minute in the tournament for Germany as they were eliminated by England in the round of 16.[53]

In November 2022, he was called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[54] However, Germany were knocked out from the group stage, as they finished third behind Japan and Spain.[55]

Style of play

Normally a centre-back, Rüdiger is a versatile defender, who is also capable of playing as a full-back on either flank.[56] In 2015, ESPN described him as a "...tall, quick and athletic defender who is ... comfortable with the ball at his feet", also touting him as an "interesting prospect" who "...has all the necessary physical attributes to become a top-level centre-back."[57] His Chelsea profile also describes him as a "tough tackler" and a "commanding presence in the air."[58] In addition to his strong physical attributes and aggressive playing style, he is also known for his leadership qualities and passing ability.[57][59] Rüdiger’s speed and athleticism, coupled with his understanding of the game, allow him to excel both in man-to-man situations and in zonal marking.[60]

Personal life

Rüdiger is a practising Muslim.[61] He was born in Berlin[62] to a Afro-German father, Matthias, and a Sierra Leonean mother, Lily. He grew up in the Berlin neighbourhood of Neukölln and is the half-brother of Sahr Senesie.[63][64] Rüdiger has often spoken out on racism in the sport, most notably after a match against Tottenham Hotspur on 24 February 2020.[65] In 2021, he wrote an article for The Players' Tribune, entitled "This Article Will Not Solve Racism in Football", on the subject, discussing his experiences with racism throughout his life and career, and potential ways to fight it.[66] He is married and he has a son and a daughter.[67]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 24 October 2023[68]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League cup[lower-alpha 2] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
VfB Stuttgart II 2011–12 3. Liga 171————171
2012–13 3. Liga 42————42
2014–15 3. Liga 10————10
Total 223————223
VfB Stuttgart 2011–12 Bundesliga 1000———10
2012–13 Bundesliga 16040—4[lower-alpha 3]0—240
2013–14 Bundesliga 30210—4[lower-alpha 3]0—352
2014–15 Bundesliga 19010———200
Total 66260—80—802
Roma (loan) 2015–16 Serie A 30210—6[lower-alpha 4]0—372
Roma 2016–17 Serie A 26040—5[lower-alpha 3]0—350
Total 56250—110—722
Chelsea 2017–18 Premier League 27260516[lower-alpha 4]01[lower-alpha 5]0453
2018–19 Premier League 33120404[lower-alpha 3]01[lower-alpha 5]0441
2019–20 Premier League 20240002[lower-alpha 4]000262
2020–21 Premier League 191400011[lower-alpha 4]0—341
2021–22 Premier League 34350319[lower-alpha 4]13[lower-alpha 6]0545
Total 13392101223215020312
Real Madrid 2022–23 La Liga 33150—10[lower-alpha 4]15[lower-alpha 7]0532
2023–24 La Liga 10000—3[lower-alpha 4]000130
Total 43150—13150662
Career total 3201737012264210044321
  1. Includes DFB-Pokal, Coppa Italia, FA Cup, Copa del Rey
  2. Includes EFL Cup
  3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. Appearance in FA Community Shield
  6. One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
  7. Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup

International
As of match played 17 October 2023[69]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Germany 201450
201520
201640
2017111
201870
201910
202070
2021121
202280
202371
Total643
As of match played 17 October 2023
Germany score listed first, score column indicates score after each Rüdiger goal[69]
List of international goals scored by Antonio Rüdiger
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
18 October 2017Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany20 Azerbaijan3–15–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
28 September 2021Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland47 Iceland2–04–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
317 October 2023Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States64 Mexico1–02–2Friendly

Honours

Chelsea

Real Madrid

Germany

Individual

References
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