Antonio Rüdiger Says Joining Real Madrid Was A Fantasy And Reveals There's A Player Who Surprises Him.

Real Madrid defender, Antonio Rudiger has admitted that joining the club was not a dream move.

Rudiger had initially hoped to extend his five year spell in west London but Chelsea were unable to offer him fresh terms under the terms of the license they were forced to operate under following the UK government’s decision to sanction Roman Abramovich.

The 29-year-old had been one of the best defenders in the world under the management of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea. And in a smart piece of business similar to David Alaba last summer, Real Madrid managed to bring him in for free.

According to the German, it was indeed a fantasy, something beyond his wildest imagination.

He said, “I can’t call it that (a dream come true), it’s a fantasy, something that was not within my reach.

“It was always my dream to play in the Premier League, Real Madrid was a fantasy, something bigger that was not within my reach.

“I realised that after I moved, it was when I couldn’t believe it, it was a brutal feeling. I never thought I would live something like this.”

Rudiger seems to have settled in well with his new teammates though, as well as starting to make his mark in Spain already.

When asked who had surprised him in a positive way since joining Real Madrid, the German defender picked up one of his national teammates in Toni Kroos. As reported by German outlet Sport1, he said.

“Toni Kroos. We always got along well and respectfully with the national team, but we always exchanged two sentences with each other. Something like “Hey, how are you?” and “Bye”. Maybe because we just didn’t have enough time. 

“At Real I met another Toni Kroos. He speaks very good Spanish, is completely open and also very helpful. He has supported me with the language since day one and has offered to help me with other things several times out of nowhere. He’s a very relaxed guy.”