“It rhymes well” - Rio Ferdinand chooses Real Madrid star as his ‘perfect’ partner on the pitch
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has picked Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger as his perfect defensive partner. He added that "it rhymes as well."
Rudiger had an excellent 2023-24 campaign for Los Blancos. They lost goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and centre-back Eder Militao due to ACL injuries before the start of the season. David Alaba then also suffered an ACL injury in December. Rudiger was the only fit centre-back alongside Nacho Fernandez for most of the season.
The German made 33 La Liga appearances as Real Madrid kept 21 clean sheets and conceded the fewest goals - 26 goals in 38 games. When asked to pick his perfect centre-back in a recent interview, Rio Ferdinand picked Rudiger, saying (via Madrid Xtra):
“Who do I think would be my perfect CB partner? Rüdiger. It rhymes as well. Rio & Rüdiger.”
Rudiger joined Los Blancos on a free transfer after leaving Chelsea in the summer of 2022. He has made 101 appearances for them, scoring four goals and providing three assists.
Antonio Rudiger highlights what German national team could learn from Real Madrid
Germany are set to host the UEFA Euro 2024 and will hope to have a good tournament under Julian Nagelsmann. They have struggled in recent times as they were eliminated at the group stage from the FIFA World Cup in both 2018 and 2022. They were eliminated in the Round of 16 in the Euro 2020.
In a friendly in preparation for the tournament, Germany played out a goalless draw against Ukraine. Rudiger, who missed the game, explained in a press conference what the team could learn from Real Madrid (via 90min):
"We can adapt that killer instinct. I haven't seen such a good 0-0 in a while. We missed some goals, but we can learn a lot from Madrid."
"We must be humble. We all know what has happened in the last tournaments."
Real Madrid have built the knack of grinding out results despite not being at the best. They were 3-2 down until the 87th minute against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final but won due to a Joselu brace. They were also arguably the second-best side against Borussia Dortmund in the final but won 2-0.
Germany will hope Real Madrid teammates Rudiger and the returning Toni Kroos will help them instill this mentality. Die Mannschaft will begin their Euro campaign against Scotland on Friday, June 14.