The German speaks for the first time about his future after closing his transfer to Madrid: “There was a possibility (of staying), but the sanctions were not the problem.”
The situation
Rudiger played his last big game for Chelsea yesterday. The German tried to help his team lift the FA Cup, but he ended up flying to Liverpool’s showcase. Feeding, incidentally, the ego and motivation of his future team’s rival in the upcoming Champions League final on the 28th. How could it be otherwise, since his signing for Madrid is a reality, he was the target of the media after the meeting and was questioned about his decision. The Berliner broke his silence and spoke about the subject, although without going too far into the matter, for the first time. “I don’t want to go too deep into the subject. There was a possibility, but the (Chelsea) sanctions weren’t the problem ,” the center-back confessed. At the time that Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government, Chelsea’s operations were frozen. The blues were up for sale and it wasn’t until Todd Boehly won the bid that Londoners had any leeway again. Hence the question, questioning whether, if the club had not been tied, he would have renewed a contract whose end is near (June 30). Rüdiger was clear. And it is that, the defense had other more juicy proposals in economic terms on the table (Bayern or PSG). In fact, the Bavarians tried to torpedo his signing of him for the white team when Salihamidzic verified the weakness of his rearguard after falling in the Champions quarters against Villarreal. But Rüdiger had decided on his next move and will be a Madrid player until 2026, with a salary of 6.8 million euros. Ancelotti will have an elite central defender, who led Chelsea to win the last Champions League and with plenty of experience (he is 29 years old).
Goodbye without grudges
However, our protagonist wanted to make it clear that he is eternally grateful to his team, as well as to the city in which his children have grown up. “It’s been five years with ups and downs as usual. There were a lot of positives, but that’s why I’m even more frustrated because I wanted to have a different ending (with a Cup win). Chelsea have been very good to me and I’ve behaved very well with Chelsea. (…) I became a man here. My children were born here and all that. London, and especially Chelsea, will always be special to me, “he settled. A goodbye without grudges.