‘It was Real Madrid or nothing’ – Antonio Rudiger unveiled by Spanish giants in first press conference

Antonio Rudiger has claimed it was «Real Madrid or nothing» as he was official unveiled by the Spanish giants. The German international’s Chelsea contract ran out at the end of last season and he was the subject of plenty of interest from across Europe. However, the lure of becoming a Real Madrid player was too strong for him to turn down.

Ad/> “The first time I got in contact, not myself but through my agent, was early September. The second time was when I spoke with Ancelotti in April," Rudiger told a press conference. Liga'I played for the greatest club' — Tearful Marcelo says goodbye to Real Madrid13/06/2022 AT 14:56 “I think that was the most important moment, to speak with Ancelotti and then I made my choice to play for this club and under him.” Rudiger also revealed that there was interest in him from Barcelona, but said he was resolute in his determination to move to the Spanish capital.

He said: “Yes, there was interest from Barça. But I told my brother it’s Real Madrid or nothing." The 29-year-old played at the Bernabeu in April 2022 while negotiations were on-going — the Champions League quarter-final second leg that Madrid would lose 3-2, but fight back from three goals down to make the semi-finals 5-4 on aggregate — and while Rudiger said he did not find that a distraction, he was left impressed by the support inside the ground. “It was easy to focus on that game.

I’m professional. It was a very intense game, my first game playing at the Santiago Bernabeu. It went quite well for me and my team.