Rüdiger: Ancelotti’s soldier to protect Courtois

Antonio Rüdiger (Berlin, March 3, 1993) is now Real Madrid’s new central defender. The German defender will sign until 2026 and arrives at the Madrid entity after being expressly requested by Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian coach already detected last summer that the whites’ contingent of central defenders was scarce after the departures of Sergio Ramos (heading for PSG and Varane (Manchester United), and he fell back on this seasoned central defender, although he sometimes suffers from his optimism on the field of play.

Rüdiger is the son of an Afro-German father and a Sierra Leonean mother. Both fled during the bloody civil war that devastated the African country in the 1990s. Youngest son, he has five siblings, four girls and one boy. A former soccer player who is also his half brother, Sahr Senesie, is his representative. Raised in an immigrant neighborhood of the German capital, Berlin-Neukölln, as a child he suffered racism, which motivated him to revolt: At the age of eight, he tried to help an elderly woman carry some bags of food. When she went to get the bags, the lady looked at her with a frightened face: the old woman thought that young Antonio was going to rob her and she started screaming for help. Back then, his friends and teammates from the small Berlin team nicknamed him Rambo for the intensity and determination with which he played. He was wearing a George Weah shirt, the first African player to win the Ballon d’Or in 1995, although He tried to look at the movements that Ronaldo Nazario made both at Inter, Real Madrid and the Brazilian team.

Another detail that left a mark on him was on one occasion when his mother could not give him money to go on an excursion with his schoolmates. There he began to forge his character: fun and entertaining off the pitch; serious and rough inside the field, his workplace. Little by little he grew in the Berlin team before making the leap to Borussia Dortmund (2008-2011), a team to which he reached their lower categories, before joining Stuttgart. When signing for the Borusser team, he promised his mother that his sacrifice would be rewarded: “Mom, one day, all this sacrifice will be worth it.”

His next jump was in 2011 when he signed for Stuttgart. There he began his meteoric career: he debuted with the first team at just 18 years old (it was January 2012). It was Bruno Labbadia, a legendary striker from the 90s, who gave him the opportunity: he was chosen as the best young player, which in Germany is awarded with a medal called Fritz Walter, in honor of the excellent German striker from the 40s and 50s of the Kaiserslautern.

His next step was his first trip abroad: Roma noticed his claw and took his services in 2015. with the set yellow Red He would be two campaigns, from 2015 to 2017. In Italy he also suffered racist episodes: in the derby in the capital he suffered racist gestures and shouts. He himself recounts how his teammate Daniele de Rossi approached him in the locker room to give him his support, something he greatly appreciated. With the romanista team he debuted in the Champions League against Barcelona. In 2021, he would win the Champions League with Chelsea, but after going through an arduous path: he arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2017, but the arrival of Frank Lampard condemned him to ostracism. He just played.

In January 2021, his situation took a 180 degree turn. Chelsea appointed Thomas Tuchel as new manager of the ‘blues’. His compatriot quoted Rüdiger in his office to show the first impressions of him. When Rüdiger arrived, the first question was: “I see you play and I see that you are aggressive. Where does that energy come from? The defender’s response was forceful: “Neukölln”. Now Rüdiger is Ancelotti’s new soldier. The Italian wanted a tall defender to accompany Militao, especially in the air. The German has won 68.1% of the duels from above. Last campaign reached 75% Militao has reached 72% this campaign. As he explains: “He who is afraid loses! It’s not just a slogan. Only with courage can you move forward in life. His two performances against Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals have brought him to the Bernabéu when it seemed that everything was going wrong. His goal at the Bernabéu, and his leadership in Chelsea’s weak defense, made Madrid make one last proposal. And he has not let this train pass…