Antonio Rudiger continues to prove his worth in a Real Madrid shirt and while David Alaba and Eder Militao might be the first choice defensive duo for Carlo Ancelotti, the German international is certainly knocking on the door as well.
While his primary job is to keep the opposition from scoring, he managed to put the ball into the back of the net on the other end of the pitch against Shakhtar Donetsk, to salvage a late draw for Real Madrid, who were heading for a shock defeat.
Rudiger did not end up escaping the game unscathed though and ended up suffering a nasty cut on his forehead. But fortunately, it looks like the problem is nothing serious and he is fine.
As reported by Real Madrid’s official website, Ancelotti said after the game about the situation of Rudiger:
“He’s got a cut on his forehead. He’s recovering and he’s ok mentally. He was laughing and he’s happy because he scored an important goal.”
It is safe to say that Real Madrid have gotten their hands on another winner on a free transfer. Rudiger arrived at the club for nothing after his deal with Chelsea ran out in the summer.
And while he has not established himself as a regular starter for the club yet, it might be hard to keep him out if he continues to perform like this on a consistent basis.
Rudiger transformed into one of the best defenders in the world during his time at Chelsea, specifically under the management of Thomas Tuchel.
And while he might no longer be playing in Tuchel’s side, he has definitely continued to perform at a very high level.
Real Madrid have three world-class options at centre-back right now in the form of Rudiger, Alaba and Militao, and the task for Ancelotti is to give enough playing time to all of them.