Antonio Rüdiger could no longer be caught, not even by his teammates. After scoring his final penalty in the penalty shootout of the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City, the Real Madrid defender broke away from the cheering crowd and sprinted diagonally across the pitch to the fans traveling with him. So he arrived with a big lead among the euphoric Madridistas, jumped over the advertising board and then let the supporters speak to him like a king for several minutes – to Don Antonio Rüdiger.
Since his free transfer from Chelsea to Real in the summer of 2022, Rüdiger has established himself as a respected member of the royal football family in Madrid. But to achieve revered status required a performance to add to the club’s many glorious European nights. Rüdiger provided this proof on Wednesday evening in another memorable match this season: Real defeated defending champion City, somehow with the last of his strength in the penalty shootout (4:3).
After the remarkable 3:3 in the first leg, it was also a draw in Manchester after regular time and extra time, this time 1:1. Real’s early lead through Rodrygo (12th) was equalized late by Kevin De Bruyne for City (76th). In the shootout the situation was reversed: First, City had the advantage after a failed attempt by Real veteran Luka Modric, but then the experienced City professionals Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic missed one after the other. Rüdiger thundered the final penalty into the bottom left corner.
Rüdiger already annoyed Guardiola’s team in the 2021 final, back then for Chelsea
The high quality of the duels between City and Real, who met for the third time in four years in a knockout round of the Champions League, results from the different approaches to the game. Madrid’s offensive all-purpose weapon Jude Bellingham pointed this out most succinctly when he characterized his coach after the match. Bellingham said he caught Carlo Ancelotti “yawning” before the game and asked: “Boss, are you tired?” Ancelotti countered that he should go out on the pitch and “excite” him. This is the “calm and confidence” that the coach exudes in front of the team, explained Bellingham. Ancelotti allows the players to act “with freedom,” which is the team’s greatest strength: unconventional approach. That’s why Real, who master all types of football and can adapt and camouflage like a chameleon, are almost impossible to count against City, who are always trying to control.
Instead of the possible historic “Double Treble” – the successful defense of titles in the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League – City now only has the chance of repeating the two national successes of the previous year. The tried and tested constant siege football in the opponent’s penalty area with this time 18:1 corners did not bring the decisive breakthrough. The Citizens’ attacking skills failed due to the defensive skills of the Madrilenians, whose resilience and ability to suffer no one embodies better than Rüdiger. The German international consistently blocked passes, crosses and shots in front of his own goal. His fearlessness was reminiscent of an indestructible knight.
After the game, Rüdiger emphasized that what makes Real what it is is to keep fighting until the end, to believe, and to never give up. He also represents these characteristics. There is hardly any other defender in Pep Guardiola’s team who bites their teeth into it as much as he does. The Berliner acts like kryptonite for ManCity, the Superman among football clubs. The disaster with Rüdiger began for City in the lost 2021 premier class final against Chelsea, when key player De Bruyne had to be replaced injured after a controversial duel with Rüdiger. The City fans have not yet forgiven the German for his action.
Despite dominance, the team hardly had a chance at the time, and Rüdiger repeatedly drove Guardiola’s attackers to desperation. Erling Haaland also felt his robustness and assertiveness in the previous season; in the premier class semi-final between Real and City, Rüdiger neutralized the highly praised center forward in the first leg. But in the second leg, Ancelotti surprisingly relied on the previously suspended regular player Eder Militao instead of Rüdiger. The decision turned out to be a fatal miscalculation: Real experienced a debacle of rare proportions in Manchester (0:4) and missed the 2023 final.
Kroos almost covers De Bruyne – the Belgian can only break away when the score is 1-1
Because of this history, Rüdiger will definitely want to make it clear this season that he is currently indispensable for every team. On Wednesday, the role defense in Real’s defense was tailored to him in a similar way to how it once was at Chelsea. There, Rüdiger benefited from the leadership and prudence of the well-traveled Thiago Silva. In Manchester he had the experienced Real captain Nacho next to him – unlike in the first leg, when Ancelotti gave him the young Aurélien Tchouaméni, who Rüdiger had to guide in turn. But Rüdiger is more of a defensive fighter than a defensive strategist, in this respect he is similar to his predecessor, the veteran Sergio Ramos.
Thanks to his emotional style of play, Rüdiger is a counterpoint to his always level-headed front man Toni Kroos at Real. Together, both DFB national players seem like the heart and soul of the Madrilenians because they always put themselves at the service of the group. In the duel with City, the intelligent Kroos had the special task of limiting De Bruyne’s circles, he almost defended him while man-marking. After the Belgian had evaded him once from the half-right to the half-left position in midfield, he scored the equalizer – also because Rüdiger’s previous clearance landed at De Bruyne’s feet.
Nevertheless, both German Real cracks, who are now looking forward to the semi-final against FC Bayern, showed an exceptional performance in Manchester. On the way to the stadium exit, Real attacker Vinicius Junior was waiting for Rüdiger. Usually it is Vinicius himself who is revered for his important goals, but this time it was different: Vinicius saddled Antonio Rüdiger on his back and carried him gracefully across the field like a trophy.