Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender on snubbing PSG for Bernabeu move: “If you want to be on the winning side”
Coming into the summer transfer window of last year, Antonio Rudiger was a man in demand as his contract with Chelsea was expiring. The Blues were trying to renew, there had been links with Barcelona and strong interest from PSG as well. But, ultimately, the German ace opted to join Real Madrid.
The German international recently chatted in an interview with Canal+ Afrique (h/t Madrid Xtra), during which he opened up on his decision to choose the Merengues over other clubs such as PSG.
“There were a lot of rumours, when PSG came, it was something I was not looking for. It’s nothing against PSG, it’s a beautiful club. But Real Madrid are Real Madrid,” Rudiger said.
“If you want to be on the winning side, you join Real Madrid,” he added.
Rudiger also revealed a touching story from the past when Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had written him a letter, way back in 2016, when the German had suffered an ACL injury.
“I received a letter from Florentino Perez in 2016, I have the letter every day in front of me. I said man like me, will one day arrive there,” he said.
“When I got an ACL injury in 2016, Florentino Pérez sent me a letter wishing me a speedy recovery. I couldn’t believe it. I still have the letter, my mother has it kept,” he added, further elaborating on the incident.
The veteran defender, who is seen as an important part of Carlo Ancelotti’s team, opened up on when he really felt he could make the jump to Real Madrid and said that the UEFA Champions League triumph with Chelsea in 2020/21 made him believe that he can move to the Bernabeu.
“The moment I knew I can go to Real Madrid is when I lifted the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea. Then I knew I can go to Real Madrid. At that moment, I knew,” Rudiger said.
When asked what sets Real Madrid apart from other teams, the defender said: “You see it first with the presentation. With all due respect to other clubs, but there you see the difference. Look at the presentation of Cristiano & Benzema. The trophy room, the history in that room… it’s overwhelming.”
Rudiger has previously spoken about the pressure that comes with playing for Real Madrid and how it can be tough to deal with at first. When asked how he manages to tackle it, the ex-Chelsea ace replied:
“For me, it’s very simple. Because Cristiano got criticized here, Benzema got criticized here, Luka Modrić, all of them. Who am I to not get criticized?”
When asked to choose between winning the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid and the UEFA Euro 2024 with Germany, Rudiger replied:
“Let me put it like this, the UCL is now, it could be in 3 months, so I’ll take the UCL. Then the EUROs are in 2024, so I’ll take the EUROs too (laughs).”
Real Madrid News
Harry Kane ‘very close’ to completing Real Madrid move, only final details remain – report
Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid was finally closed earlier today as officially confirmed by Borussia Dortmund on their website. Yet, the offices at Santiago Bernabeu have not even taken a break to celebrate their success.
According to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, Los Blancos are now completely focused on the acquisition of Harry Kane. The English striker’s arrival is very close to approaching closure and only a few details remain to be sorted.
The Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur representatives reportedly held a meeting today over the striker’s transfer. The agenda was to agree on a number for the transfer fee.
The Premier League side began the proceedings with an expectation of €100 to €110 million in exchange for Kane. However, the Merengues suggested a lower point at €80 to €90 million, albeit with the option to include bonuses.
There is not much separating the two parties at the moment, and the minor gap will be bridged in the coming days. Overall, the meeting ended with a broad understanding between the two clubs.
Carlo Ancelotti sees the English striker as the centre-piece of his attack for next season given the recent departure of Karim Benzema. After all, Kane has been one of football’s most consistent goalscorers over the past decade.
Yet, Los Blancos cannot afford to let their guard down with one signing and will need to rope in at least two more names in attack to serve as backup options. The exits of Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio, and Eden Hazard leave them with no squad depth, after all.
Kane has scored 30, 17, and 23 goals in his last three seasons in the Premier League and is the epitome of consistency. Further, he had three assists in his most recent league season and created 14 big chances.
