In a program, former Chelsea defender and current Real Madrid player Rüdiger shared his emotions about his Real Madrid career, his appreciation for Barcelona youngster Yamal, as well as his work with new teammate Mbappe and his defensive insights against Harland.
Rüdiger began by expressing his appreciation for Barcelona youngster Yamal. He said, "It's incredible what Yamal is doing, he has an amazing future. I hope he stays healthy because I never want anyone to get injured. For Barcelona, the 17-year-old has a bright future after his performance in the Europa League which was very scary."
Rüdiger then recalled his experience of joining Real Madrid. He lamented, "I knew that the trophy I won at Chelsea was my ticket to the best club in the world. Real Madrid don't knock on your door too often and I felt ready to take that step. I felt incredible when they came to London. I hugged my boys and couldn't believe it. I got the jersey and I still have it to this day."
Speaking about new signing Mbappe, Rüdiger said, "I said to him that Killian would make a big impact in the dressing room, but he's a man with his feet on the ground. I've seen him mature and now he's starting to score goals, he's becoming more influential and his partnership with Vinicius, Rodrigo and Bellingham is improving." He also revealed that he is happy with his center-back partnership with Militão: "I'm happy to partner Militão, who has just come back from a serious injury and is getting back to his best."
In the program, Rüdiger also explained his tapping behavior towards his teammates when celebrating a goal: "When I score, they tap me back. This is my way of showing the lads that I care."
Finally, Rüdiger shared his insights on defending Harland: "You have to be ready for a physical confrontation because he's an absolute monster, really big. I don't know what he eats, but his strength is amazing. The defenders who have performed best against him are Van Dyke and Saliba. I love playing against strikers like that. You can't give him too much space and if you fight him for speed, if he takes the second spot, there's nothing you can do. Although he didn't score on us, it almost worked."
