"He pinched me on my leg" - Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger says 35-year-old superstar is a 'master of the dark side'

Antonio Rudiger has labeled Luis Suarez as the master of the dark arts. The Chelsea defender added that he is not riled up by Suarez's actions and just focuses on the game.

Suarez was seen pinching Rudiger's leg in a UEFA Champions League game between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid last year to get a reaction from the German defender. The striker is known for such acts to try and get under the skin of his opponents.

🇩🇪 Antonio Rüdiger ve Thomas Müller, Almanya Milli Takımı'nın idmanında eğleniyor. 📸 https://t.co/uVhYIk7v3X

Recalling that incident on Chelsea's official website, Rudiger added that he knew he had to be careful around the striker and said:

"I don't go into the game saying, I'm going to do this or do that. It's just in the moment it happens. Like in this incident with Suarez, he pinched me on my leg. It's not that I want to play or something like this, because he's also I think a master of the dark side, so you always have to be careful when you play like that because sometimes it goes in your favour, and sometimes it doesn't go in yours."

Rudiger continued:

"At the end of the day, this is not something that gives me a boost or something like this. He defends his badge; I defend mine. This is all; this is all. I go with no feeling any pressure for his revenge or anything like this. I am just focussed on our targets, and that is to win the game and get through, because Atletico is not only Luis Suarez."

The German concluded:

Honestly, he's a world-class player. He's shown it at every club he has been in Europe, Liverpool, Barcelona, Ajax, now Atletico. He's a very, very good player, and he has a lot of fight in him. and obviously he's a top opponent."

What next for Antonio Rudiger at Chelsea?

Chelsea and Rudiger are yet to agree on a new deal, and things could go down to the wire. Contract talks have stalled as the club are in the process of selecting new owners, and the focus has shifted to sealing the big deal.

Juventus are reportedly eager to sign Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger this summer. dlvr.it/SMTyDk

The German defender will have to wait for his new deal at Chelsea, but he is not short of offers. Real Madrid, PSG and Juventus are reportedly keen on signing the defender as a free agent in the summer when his contract runs out.