Depending on who you ask,
Antonio Rudiger is either a top-class defender or an utterly
liability at the back. A very impressive defender, his unique
physicality and defensive rigour and ensures he’s often a player
who can be seen playing with his heart on his sleeve. While defensive
mistakes and losses of concentration occur more than they should, at
24 there’s ample time for him to improve and find a greater
consistency in his game.
Starting out at Borussia
Dortmund, he failed to make the breakthrough there and soon moved on
to VfB Stuttgart. At Stuttgart, he quickly broke into the first-team
and in 4 years completed close to 100 appearances. Before long, his
fantastic form seen him pick up attention from abroad and in 2015 he
left Stuttart for a move to Rome. At Roma, he quickly became an
important part of their squad ad played over 60 games in a two-year
stay in the Italian capital.
While he suffered at times
from defensive lapses in Italy, and left a sour taste on his time
with the Giallorossi following a sending off in a 3-1 home defeat to
Lazio in the Derby della Capitale, he was a very impressive defender
for much of his time.
His move to Chelsea came
in 2017, when the German defender made his move over to London for
around €40m. The signing was seen as the beginning of a Chelsea
rebirth, with Rudiger impressing early on into his Chelsea career
with some assured performances.
With an impressive debut
campaign close to an end, Rudiger could easily set the standard for
the rest of his career in the next coupe seasons. A hugely powerful
defender with excellent pace and tackling capability, extra
concentration and experience could see him evolve into a top-class
defender,