"It's tough to defend against tall players" - Real Madrid star makes interesting Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi admission
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger spoke about the challenges he faced when playing against the elite forwards of world football.
While there are players like Lionel Messi, who are smaller in stature and are quicker to turn, Rudiger has also faced bigger strikers like Erling Haaland who use brute force and strength to outmuscle opponents.
Speaking about his preferred attacker to defend against and describing the tactics behind it, Rudiger told reporters (via GOAL):
"Defending against tough opponents? It is what I live for. Those are the moments I love – when all odds are against you when everyone talks against you. This is how it was with Haaland. I live for those moments."
He continued:
"It is tough to defend against tall players like [Erling] Haaland or [Victor] Osimhen, but I prefer to play against players of this height – rather than players of the height like [Lionel] Messi for example."
Rudiger faced Lionel Messi when playing for Chelsea against Barcelona back in the 2017-18 Champions League campaign. He faced Erling Haaland when Real Madrid played Manchester City in the Champions League again last season.
Rudiger's Real Madrid looking to win titles after barren 2022-23 season
The Galacticos won the Champions League and La Liga in the 2021-22 season. However, they failed to repeat their heroics in the following campaign.
Real Madrid ended the 2022-23 season without any major silverware. They were beaten to La Liga by Xavi's Barcelona and lost in the Champions League semifinal stage to eventual winners Manchester City.
This time around, Real Madrid are enjoying a perfect Champions League campaign, having won all six of their group-stage games. They have been less consistent in La Liga, where they are currently second after 16 games with 39 points, two points behind surprise leaders Girona.
Rudiger has amassed 21 appearances for Los Blancos and is a key player in their starting XI at the moment.