Antonio Rüdiger
One of the consistent players of Chelsea's 2017/18 turmoil campaign Antonio Rudiger has amazing tackling and defensive skills. Standing at the height of 6 feet 3inches he has been a rock figure in Chelsea's defense since his arrival at London. He is quiet and calm outside the pitch but on the pitch, he is an aggressive player. Starting his career at Germany 's VfB Stuttgart he transferred to Italian side AS Roma. During his time at Roma, he was often subject of racial chants by the opposing fans. This was the main reason he considered his switch to the English capital.
Internationally he was included in Germany's 23 main squad for Euro 2016 but was taken out due to a knee injury. However, he played a major role for Germany's 2017 Confederation Cup triumph. He has been listed in the 28 man squad for the FIFA 2018 World Cup.
Early Life And Career Of Antonio Rudiger
Antonio Rudiger was born on 3rd March 1993 in the capital city of Germany, Berlin to father Matthias Rudiger and mother Lily Rudiger. His parents are originally from Sierre Leone, a country in Africa and migrated to Germany in search of better opportunities during the brink of Civil War.
During his early years, Rudiger used to play street football and spent eight years playing amateur football in different positions including striker and midfielder. After youth spells with various clubs including Hertha Zehelndorf and Borussia Dortmund, Rudiger finally joined Stuttgart in 2011/12 season.
He made his debut in Bundesliga on 29 January 2012 for Stuttgart against Borussia Monchengladbach in the 79th minute in a 3-0 defeat. His Stuttgart's career was mix up of some fine performances and injuries. Altogether he made eighty appearances for Stuttgart and scored two goals.
Antonio Rudiger's Professional Career In Roma And Chelsea FC
On 2015/16 season Rudiger was loaned out to Italian club Roma for a fee of $4.7 million which included an optional transfer fee of $10.6 Million at the end of one year contract. He made his Serie A debut on 12 September 2015 against Frosinone in a 2-0 away win. He scored his first goal for AS Roma against bitter rival AC Milan in a 1-1 draw on 9th January 2016.
He made 37 appearances for Roma and scored 2 goals as Roma finished 3rd in the table. Due to his amazing performances in his first season at Italy, his loan deal was made permanent as Roma paid $10.6 million for his services. His second season was more improved in terms of defensive records as Roma finished 2nd at the table just behind leaders Juventus. He made 35 appearances for Roma that season and also added four a s sists to his name.
His amazing performances in Roma earned him a move to English side Chelsea FC. Chelsea paid $39 million for him. He made his debut for Chelsea in a defeat against Arsenal FC in 2017 Community shield. He made his league debut in the opening match of the season against Burnley which was also a 3-2 defeat.
He scored his first league goal against Swansea on 29th November 2017. Antonio Conte's men have failed to repeat their domestic success of last year but Rudiger was praised by many critics for his amazing ball playing skills and tackling abilities.
Antonio Rudiger 's International Career
Rudiger played several games for Under 18 and Under 21 Germany's national team. He made his senior debut for Germany on 13th May 2014 against Poland. He was also included in the squad of Euro 2016 but missed due to a knee injury. He was also included in young German squad for FIFA Confederation cup 2017 and played four games in the tournament. Rudiger also played in the final of the tournament in a 1-0 win against Chile as Germany were crowned Champions.
He also featured in several of the games for Germany in Worldcup qualifying match 2018. He scored his first international goal on 8th October 2017 against Azerbaijan in a 5-1 home win.
Antonio Rudiger 's Networth And Salary
As of 2017 during his spell at Roma, his market value was increased by $18 million. He receives $121,725 per week as salary from Chelsea FC. As of 2018, his estimated net worth is about $11 million. He endorses Nike brand and was also involved with Nike react campaign alongside Belgian athlete Nafissatou Thiam. His car collection includes Range Rover($69,000-$118,000) and Audi(28k-$69k).
Antonio Rudiger's Personal Life
Antonio Rudiger likes to keep his private life as confidential as possible. Some reports say he is still unmarried but has a girlfriend name Reta whom he met during his playing days at Roma.
Rudiger considers former Liberian player George Weah and Ronaldo(Brazillian) as his idol. His parents are originally from Sierre Leone. His half-brother Sahr Senesie is also a former soccer player. He has four sisters and one brother in the family. He is youngest among them. At his young age he was Arsenal fan and said has been following Arsenal since the days of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.