Antonio Rudiger admitted that aggression is part of his game.
Between Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, Real Madrid already had an unpleasant defence to play against. But, the arrival of former Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger has taken that to a new level.
The Germany international has a reputation for being a tough competitor and that was seen at the Santiago Bernabeu last season, as Chelsea nearly mounted a comeback in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Speaking to German channel Sport1, in an interview carried by Diario AS, Rudiger admitted that aggression is part of his game.
“I didn’t become a footballer in order to be everyone’s friend. I know that I cannot get on well with everyone. I like to be uncomfortable.”
He admitted he had calmed down a little from the start of his career, where it bordered on a lack of discipline. There is still plenty of that character in his play though.
“That’s who I am. I love it and I need to play these mind-games with my rivals, I also use trash talk. It’s fun. I like to analyse my rivals and think how they will react if I provoke them a bit. It isn’t that I choose them before the match, it happens in a spontaneous manner.”
He was also asked if it was an amped up role he was playing, as a ‘showman’.
“Completely! At the end of the day, football in entertainment. And you won’t see me dribbling past five or six like Vinicius. I do it differently.”
So far Rudiger has come in and out of the team at Real Madrid, as he competes for a place with Militao and David Alaba. However, there have been no signs of discontent from the German centre-back, as evidenced by his gushing response on his coach recently.
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