ANTONIO RUDIGER has posted an emotional goodbye message to Chelsea fans as he prepares to leave the club this summer.
The 28-year-old German defender looks set to join Real Madrid at the end of the season after Thomas Tuchel confirmed the Blues could not agree a new deal.
Rudiger has been a Chelsea player since 2017
And Rudiger, who has been one of Chelsea’s key players over the last 12 months, has now published a final farewell letter to the club’s supporters in which he gushes about team-mate N’Golo Kante.
He speaks about Kante being the “coolest guy” and tells a story a funny story about the Chelsea midfielder.
He insists that everything with the French star is “authentic” and that he is “so polite that he just tells you what you want to hear”.
Rudiger also opened up about returning to the fold after being left on the sidelines for much of Frank Lampard’s time in charge.
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He is incredibly grateful for Thomas Tuchel giving him a second chance and says that playing in the Champions League final last season was the “pineapple on top of the cake”.
Rudiger played a key role in helping the Blues lift their second European Cup in nine years after they beat Manchester City 1-0 in the final.
Speaking about the final, he said: “The young boys played like men on the biggest stage — especially Mason.
“What a player that boy is. Seriously. Elite mentality. Sometimes I have to ask myself, ‘Is this guy really that young?’
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“The way he moves, the way he carries himself, it’s not like he’s 23. Against Madrid, he was just phenomenal, and in the end, we all know what happened…”
More to follow.
