“The mistake Chelsea did was letting him leave in 2022 now even the smallest premier league team can win them- Former Arsenal Star Mesut Ozil slams Chelsea for letting ex-teammate go
The 30-year-old centre-back put up an excellent performance for the Spanish giants against Mallorca on Wednesday evening, helping the team keep a clean sheet before scoring the game’s only goal in the 78th minute.
Rudiger rose highest from a corner to tip a header past Predrag Rajkovic, ensuring Real Madrid’s top spot in La Liga thanks to their better goal difference against surprise package Girona.
This is due in great part to their superb defence, with Real conceding only 11 goals in 19 league matches this season.
After the game, manager Carlo Ancelotti praised Rudiger’s play, saying the German had stepped up during a defensive injury crisis.
‘He took advantage of other people’s injuries. ‘He is consistently operating at a high level,’ stated the Italian coach.
‘In duels, he is always prepared. We have him as backup insurance. He is performing admirably.’
Ozil, who played alongside Rudiger for Germany, agreed wholeheartedly and took to social media platform X to both applaud and condemn Chelsea for allowing him to depart, a decision he believes has contributed to their current troubles.
‘At the moment, Prime Toni Rudiger is the world’s top defender. ‘A fantastic season for my former team Real Madrid,’ he commented shortly after Real’s 1-0 win over Mallorca.
‘Ask [Erling] Haaland or [Victor] Osimhen how good he is!
‘Look what happened to Chelsea after he departed…’ Every day, they miss his mentality.’
Chelsea are now tenth in the Premier League table, having conceded 31 goals in 20 games this season.
The west Londoners attempted to keep Rudiger, but he chose to leave to Real Madrid when his contract at Stamford Bridge expired in the summer of 2022, with Andreas Christensen also moving on a free transfer.
Since then, Chelsea has spent millions on new centre-backs, including Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, and Benoit Badiashile, but none have been able to fill the vacuum left by Rudiger.
