Antonio Rüdiger has officially joined Real Madrid on a free transfer after his contract with Chelsea expired. The German defender joined Real Madrid after contract talks with Chelsea initially proved unfruitful. His situation with the club worsened after the Sanctions. Antonio Rudiger has signed a four-year contract with Los Blancos till June 2026 with no option. Rudiger will receive a bumper pay rise at Real Madrid.

Rudiger has been in superb form for club and country since Thomas Tuchel took over at Chelsea. Winning The UEFA Champions League, Super Cup, and the Club World Cup with Chelsea since 2021.

Chelsea signed Antonio Rüdiger from AS Roma back in 2017 for an estimated £27 million. He enjoyed his first season under Antonio Conte, winning the FA Cup in 2018.

Rudiger was also integral to the Chelsea team that won The UEFA Europa League in 2019. Despite being frozen out of the Chelsea first team by Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel re-integrated him back into the Chelsea team. The German leaves the club after lifting 5 major trophies in 5 years.