Antonio Rüdiger facts for kids
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Rüdiger with Real Madrid in 2025
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antonio Rüdiger | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 March 1993 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Berlin, Germany | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Real Madrid | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 22 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | VfB Sperber Neukölln | |||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | SV Tasmania Berlin | |||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Neuköllner Sportfreunde 1907 | |||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Hertha Zehlendorf | |||||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Borussia Dortmund | |||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | VfB Stuttgart | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | VfB Stuttgart II | 22 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | VfB Stuttgart | 66 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Roma (loan) | 30 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Roma | 26 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | Chelsea | 133 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2022– | Real Madrid | 95 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Germany U18 | 8 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Germany U19 | 14 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | Germany U20 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Germany U21 | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2014– | Germany | 79 | (3) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:29, 20 April 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08:56, 24 March 2025 (UTC) |
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Antonio Rüdiger, born on March 3, 1993, is a professional football player from Germany. He plays as a defender, specifically a centre-back, for the famous Spanish club Real Madrid and also for the German national team. He is known for being a strong and fast player who is good at tackling and winning balls in the air.
Rüdiger started his football journey at VfB Stuttgart in Germany. He then moved to Roma in Italy in 2015. In 2017, he joined Chelsea in England, where he won important trophies like the FA Cup, UEFA Europa League, and the UEFA Champions League. In 2022, he moved to Real Madrid in Spain, where he has continued to win major titles, including the Copa del Rey, La Liga, and another Champions League.
He first played for the German national team in 2014. He has represented his country in big tournaments like the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup (which Germany won), the 2018 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2020, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2024.
Contents
Antonio Rüdiger's Club Career
Starting Out at VfB Stuttgart
Antonio Rüdiger began his professional career at VfB Stuttgart in Germany. He first played for their reserve team, VfB Stuttgart II, in the 3. Liga on July 23, 2011. A few months later, on January 29, 2012, he made his debut for the main VfB Stuttgart team in the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league.
In April 2013, Rüdiger signed a longer contract with Stuttgart. He played in the final of the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) that year, but his team lost to Bayern Munich. He played 24 games for the first team that season. The next season, 2013–14, he played 35 games and scored 2 goals. In the 2014–15 season, he played 20 games, but had some injuries.
Playing for Roma in Italy
In August 2015, Rüdiger moved to Italy to play for Serie A club Roma. He first joined on a loan deal, which meant he played for them for a year with an option for Roma to buy him permanently.
He made his debut for Roma on September 12, 2015. On January 9, 2016, he scored his first goal for the club. After playing 37 games and scoring 2 goals during his loan, Roma decided to sign him permanently in May 2016. In his second season at Roma, he played 35 games.
Time at Chelsea in England
On July 9, 2017, Rüdiger joined Chelsea, a big club in England, for about £29 million. He made his first appearance for Chelsea in August 2017. His first goal for Chelsea came in a cup game against Everton, and his first league goal was against Swansea City in November 2017.
On February 1, 2020, in his 100th game for Chelsea, he scored two goals against Leicester City. On May 29, 2021, Rüdiger achieved a huge success by winning his first UEFA Champions League title with Chelsea. They beat Manchester City 1–0 in the final. In April 2022, he scored his first Champions League goal for Chelsea against Real Madrid. After five years with Chelsea, Rüdiger announced in May 2022 that he would be leaving the club.
Joining Real Madrid in Spain
On June 2, 2022, Real Madrid announced that Rüdiger would join them as a free agent, signing a four-year contract. He was given the number 22 shirt. He made his debut for Real Madrid on August 10, 2022, in a 2–0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup.
His first goal for Real Madrid was on September 11, 2022, in a 4–1 win over Mallorca. On October 11, he scored a dramatic header in the last minute against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League, which helped his team draw and move closer to the next stage. In the 2023–24 season, he won his first La Liga title and his second UEFA Champions League title with Real Madrid. He was even named in the Champions League Team of the Season. In April 2025, he scored a key goal in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Sociedad, helping his team reach the final. In the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on April 27, 2025, Rüdiger received a red card while on the bench. He was later given a six-match ban.
Antonio Rüdiger's International Career
Antonio Rüdiger could play for either Germany or Sierra Leone, his mother's home country. He chose to play for Germany and was part of their youth teams, including the Germany U21 team.
He made his debut for the German national team on May 13, 2014, in a game against Poland. He was supposed to play in UEFA Euro 2016, but he got an injury just before the tournament and couldn't play.
Rüdiger was part of the German team that won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. He played four games in that tournament, including the final match where Germany beat Chile 1–0. On October 8, 2017, he scored his first goal for Germany in a World Cup qualifying match against Azerbaijan.
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He was also in Germany's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played in the second group stage match against Sweden, which Germany won. However, Germany was knocked out of the tournament after losing to South Korea. Rüdiger was also selected for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, where he played every minute for Germany before they were eliminated by England.
In November 2022, Rüdiger was called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Germany did not make it past the group stage in that tournament. Rüdiger was also part of the German squad for UEFA Euro 2024.
Antonio Rüdiger's Playing Style
Rüdiger is mainly a centre-back, which means he plays in the middle of the defense. However, he is a very flexible player and can also play as a full-back on either side of the field.
Experts have described him as a tall, fast, and athletic defender who is good with the ball. He is known for being a "tough tackler" and a strong presence when the ball is in the air. Besides his physical strength and aggressive way of playing, he is also known for being a leader and for his good passing skills. His speed and athleticism, along with his understanding of the game, help him do well in both one-on-one situations and when defending a specific area of the field.
Antonio Rüdiger's Personal Life
Antonio Rüdiger was born in Berlin, Germany. His father is Afro-German, and his mother is from Sierra Leone. He grew up in the Neukölln area of Berlin. He is married to Laura Rüdiger and they have a son and a daughter.
Rüdiger has often spoken out against racism in football. In 2021, he wrote an article about his experiences with racism and how to fight it.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 2011–12 | 3. Liga | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
| 2012–13 | 3. Liga | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | |||||
| 2014–15 | 3. Liga | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 22 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 3 | ||||||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | |||
| 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 66 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 80 | 2 | ||||
| Roma (loan) | 2015–16 | Serie A | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 37 | 2 | ||
| Roma | 2016–17 | Serie A | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 35 | 0 | ||
| Total | 56 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | — | 72 | 2 | ||||
| Chelsea | 2017–18 | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 3 |
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 1 | |
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 20 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 2 | |
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 19 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 34 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 54 | 5 | |
| Total | 133 | 9 | 21 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 32 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 203 | 12 | ||
| Real Madrid | 2022–23 | La Liga | 33 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 53 | 2 | |
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 29 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 13 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 54 | 3 | ||
| Total | 95 | 2 | 9 | 1 | — | 35 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 155 | 7 | |||
| Career total | 372 | 18 | 41 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 86 | 4 | 21 | 1 | 532 | 26 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2014 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 79 | 3 | |
- Germany score listed first, score column indicates score after each Rüdiger goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 October 2017 | Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany | 20 |  Azerbaijan |
3–1 | 5–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 8 September 2021 | Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | 47 |  Iceland |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 17 October 2023 | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States | 64 |  Mexico |
1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
Antonio Rüdiger's Football Honours
Chelsea
- FA Cup: 2017–18
- UEFA Champions League: 2020–21
- UEFA Europa League: 2018–19
- UEFA Super Cup: 2021
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2021
- EFL Cup runner-up: 2018–19, 2021–22
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2023–24
- Copa del Rey: 2022–23
- Supercopa de España: 2024
- UEFA Champions League: 2023–24
- UEFA Super Cup: 2022, 2024
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2022
- FIFA Intercontinental Cup: 2024
Germany
Individual Awards
- Fritz Walter Medal U19 Gold: 2012
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2020–21
- UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2021–22, 2023–24
- PFA Team of the Year: 2021–22 Premier League
- ESM Team of the Year: 2021–22, 2023–24
- La Liga Team of the Season: 2023–24, 2024–25
- FIFPRO Men's World 11: 2024
- The Best FIFA Men's 11: 2024
- IFFHS Men's World Team: 2024
See also
In Spanish: Antonio Rüdiger para niños
