https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2022/06/02/rudiger-moves-to-real
Rudiger moves to Real
02 Jun 2022
We bid farewell to Antonio Rudiger as he departs Stamford Bridge with his
Chelsea contract expiring, bringing to a close his five trophy-filled
years with the club.
https://i.imgur.com/4RtaLQn.jpg
The German defender has left the Blues to join Real Madrid, having played
a huge role in our successes in recent seasons. Rudiger lifted the FA Cup,
Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup
with Chelsea, playing a crucial role in all those triumphs at the heart of
our defence.
The 29-year-old was also an important figure in the dressing room with his
leadership and passion, while his dedication and desire to win never
faltered, even when it became clear he would be leaving the club this
summer. Rudiger's disappointment was obvious when defeats to Real Madrid
in the Champions League and to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup
finals denied him the chance to say goodbye with one more piece of
silverware.
Rudiger arrived in west London to join the then Premier League champions
from Roma in 2017, making his Chelsea debut as a substitute in that
August's Community Shield against Arsenal. That season Rudiger was a
regular on the left side of a back three under Antonio Conte, where his
pace and determination to win possession with every challenge made him an
important part of the system, able to keep up with wingers as well as
matching centre-forwards physically, while covering his fellow defenders
when needed.
His huge leap also made him an asset in the air at both ends of the pitch.
He scored his first Chelsea goal in a Carabao Cup win over Everton, and
earned us victory with his maiden Premier League strike against Swansea
City. He closed out his debut season with the Blues on a high, as he was
named Man of the Match for an increasingly familiar all-action performance
when we beat Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup final.
https://i.imgur.com/tgngof8.jpg
The defender in action during the 2018 FA Cup final
The German international continued to feature regularly following the
switch to a back four when Maurizio Sarri replaced Conte as Chelsea head
coach for 2018/19, starting 44 games in all competitions that season,
despite his campaign being ended early by a knee injury.
Although that meant Rudiger missed both legs of our Europa League
semi-final and the final itself, he still contributed to that success
through his four starts in the competition, and he was there in Baku
watching enthusiastically from the sidelines, pulling on a Chelsea shirt
and hopping around on his crutches to celebrate as ecstatically as anyone
as we lifted the trophy.
After a couple of frustrating false starts, Rudiger eventually returned
from that troublesome injury in December 2019, by which time Frank Lampard
was in the dugout. He forced his way back into the team and marked his
100th Chelsea appearance by scoring two headers to earn us an important
point against our rivals for a top-four spot Leicester City, celebrated as
always in passionate, but sometimes bizarre, fashion.
He kept his place in the side when football resumed following the
three-month suspension of sport in 2020. Now aged 27, it was clear he was
maturing as a player. The larger-than-life explosions of emotion remained,
but now seemed more focused, as he cajoled and urged his team-mates on
while shouting instructions, made all the more evident by the absence of
supporters inside stadiums.
His chances became more limited in 2020/21 until Thomas Tuchel arrived. In
the early days of playing for his fellow German, it became apparent just
how much Rudiger had developed as a player during his time with the Blues.
He was now not only a leader of the team on and off the pitch, but had
also evolved into a complete defender, as comfortable on the ball as when
winning it from an opponent.
Rudiger was instrumental as we only conceded twice in Tuchel's first 14
games as head coach. His only goal of the season came at a crucial moment
and sparked another one of those explosions of passion which endeared Toni
to the Chelsea supporters. In the first match with fans back at the Bridge
in over a year, he opened the scoring in a crucial 2-1 home win over
Leicester, rushing towards the touchline to celebrate wildly with our
supporters.
It was in our triumphant Champions League campaign that he produced some
of his most memorable moments, though, including his assist for Christian
Pulisic's away goal at Real Madrid in the semi-finals, and that last-ditch
tackle to deny Phil Foden as we beat Manchester City in the final in
Porto.
https://i.imgur.com/56IHqaW.jpg
Rudiger was instrumental in our 2021 Champions League triumph
Those contributions were in addition to the running antagonism between
himself and Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez during our last-16 tie,
showing Rudiger was also versed in football’s dark arts and not one to
shy away from confrontation when the situation demanded.
Rudiger continued to play a major role for Tuchel in his last season,
meaning the sight of him shepherding a through-ball out of play with his
distinctive high-kneed running style remained a frequent sight for the
Blues right until the end. He notably played every minute of the UEFA
Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup as we lifted both trophies, and was
named Man of the Match in the win over Palmeiras in the final in Abu
Dhabi.
2021/22 was also Rudiger's highest-scoring season at Chelsea, netting five
in total. Three of them were headers from set-pieces, but the other two
demonstrated the more rounded player he had become since joining us. His
barnstorming runs upfield were already a familiar sight to Blues
supporters by this point, using his long stride to eat up the yards.
https://i.imgur.com/abHM4Kl.jpg
Those determined runs forward often culminated in cries of 'shoot' from
the crowd, and Rudiger tended to indulge them at least once per game,
despite being advised not to by his coaches as his powerful efforts from
distance rarely found the target. That made it all the sweeter when his
persistence paid off in spectacular style, with his long-range effort
against Brentford in the Premier League in early April by far the pick of
Rudiger's goals. It was voted as the Premier League's Goal of the Month.
https://i.imgur.com/JzfQYgj.jpg
Rudiger is saluted off the field in his final game against Watford
Rudiger made 54 appearances in all competitions in his final campaign, all
from the start, more than any other Chelsea player. He departs with 203
appearances and 12 goals to his name, in that time establishing himself as
one of the most passionate characters to represent the club in recent
memory.
Chelsea Football Club thanks Toni for his contribution to our success over
the last five years and wishes him well in his future career.