Rüdiger closes the book on Die Mannschaft
Antonio Ruediger will no longer wear the Germany shirt. Marca revealed this afternoon that the Real Madrid centre-back has decided to retire from international football. He is 33 and has more than a decade of caps behind him.
The timing of his debut says plenty about him. Ruediger won his first cap in May 2014, a few weeks before a World Cup in Brazil he would watch from afar. Twelve years on, he walks away from Die Mannschaft after three Euros and three World Cups. Few German defenders have lasted that long at this level.
The trigger goes back to the last World Cup. Germany crashed out on penalties against Paraguay, a premature exit that kicked off a rebuild. Jurgen Klopp, now in charge of the national side, wants to bring through a new generation. Rüdiger has chosen to make room rather than hang on for dear life.
Try it for $0.99.
A move that suits Madrid
International duty was taking its toll. Every break meant travel, extra matches and more miles on the clock for a 33-year-old who is already grinding through La Liga and the Champions League. By stepping away, Rüdiger gets back around ten matches and several weeks of rest each season.
Real Madrid stand to benefit automatically. Jose Mourinho has made the German a pillar of his back line. Rüdiger says he feels valued by the central role handed to him by the Portuguese coach, and the manager’s demands suit his temperament just fine.
Signed on a free from Chelsea in the summer of 2022, he remains one of Madrid’s best bits of business of the decade. He lifted the Champions League with the Blues a year earlier.
What he leaves behind
Klopp loses a dressing-room leader as well as a defender. Rüdiger filled that role of the old hand who could raise his voice, a rare commodity in a Germany squad going through major change.
The centre-back spot now becomes the national team’s main problem area. Nico Schlotterbeck, already ruled out of the last World Cup through injury, will be watched closely.
Rüdiger, for his part, is only playing on one front now. At 33, with a coach who has put him at the heart of the project, the numbers stack up.
Discover the rest of the FOOT news on our mathodds website and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply