Rüdiger began his career atVfB Stuttgart, representingtheir reserves in3. Liga and the first team in theBundesliga. In 2015 he joinedRoma, initially on loan and a year later for a €9 million fee. He was signed byChelsea in 2017 for an estimated £27 million, where he won theFA Cup in his first season, followed by theUEFA Europa League in his second season, and theUEFA Champions League in 2021. In 2022, he was signed by Real Madrid, winning aCopa del Rey in his first season, as well as La Liga and a second Champions League title in 2024.
The following year in April 2013, Rüdiger extended his contract with Stuttgart until June 2017.[10] On 1 June, he played in the final of theDFB-Pokal in a match lost 3–2 againstBayern Munich.[11] He finished his second season in the first team with 24 appearances, plus 4 appearances and 2 goals in the reserve team.[12]
Rüdiger finished the 2013–14 season with 35 appearances and 2 goals.[12] He finished the following season with only 20 appearances and one assist due to various injuries.[13][14]
On 19 August 2015,Serie A clubRoma signed Rüdiger on loan from Stuttgart for €4 million. The clubs agreed on an optional €9 million transfer fee at the end of the one-year contract.[15]
On 12 September, he made his debut in a 2–0 away win overFrosinone.[16] On 9 January 2016 he scored his first goal for Roma in the 4th minute of a 1–1 home draw againstMilan.[17] He finished his season-long loan to Roma with 37 appearances and 2 goals.[12] On 30 May, Roma officially signed Rüdiger from Stuttgart for €9 million + €0.5m bonuses on a four-year contract.[18]
On 23 February 2017, as a substitute replacingKostas Manolas in the 46th minute of a 1–0 home defeat againstVillarreal in the round of 32 of theUEFA Europa League, he was sent off with a double yellow card in the 81st minute.[19] On 30 April he was sent off with ared card in the 93rd minute inDerby della Capitale against Lazio in a 3–1 home defeat.[20] Rüdiger finished his second season at Roma with 35 appearances and four assists.[12]
On 9 July 2017, Rüdiger joinedChelsea from Roma for a reported initial fee of £29 million on a five-year deal.[21] He was given the number 2 shirt.[22] He made his debut on 6 August as a substitute replacingMarcos Alonso in the 79th minute in a 4–1 loss on penalties toArsenal in the2017 FA Community Shield.[23] He made hisPremier League debut six days later in a 3–2 defeat againstBurnley atStamford Bridge.[24] He scored his first goal for Chelsea in the round of 16 of theEFL Cup in a 2–1 win overEverton,[25] and his first league goal was the only one of a home win overSwansea City on 29 November 2017.[26] On 20 October 2018, Rüdiger scored his first goal of the season, opening the scoring in a 2–2 home draw againstManchester United.[27]
On 22 December 2019, Rüdiger made a complaint about racist abuse directed against him during the away match againstTottenham Hotspur, which received wide media coverage.[28][29][30] It prompted a call for government action on racism in football.[31] However, no evidence of racist abuse against Rüdiger was found after a police investigation with the police eventually dismissing the case.[32]
On his 100th club appearance, he scored Chelsea's two goals, both headers assisted byMason Mount in a 2–2 draw againstLeicester City at theKing Power Stadium on 1 February 2020.[33] On 29 May 2021, Rüdiger won his first-everUEFA Champions League after Chelsea beatManchester City 1–0 in thefinal at theEstádio do Dragão.[34] On 12 April 2022, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–2 away win overReal Madrid in the quarter-finals of the2021–22 season; however, Chelsea were eliminated from the competition by losing 5–4 on aggregate.[35] On 20 May, Rüdiger announced officially that he would leave Chelsea after five years.[36]
On 2 June 2022,Real Madrid announced that Rüdiger signed as a free agent for the club, penning a four-year deal starting with the 2022–23 season.[37][38] On 20 June 2022, Rüdiger was unveiled as a new Real Madrid player. He was given the number 22 shirt.[39] On 10 August, he made his debut for the club, coming off the bench in a 2–0 victory overEintracht Frankfurt in theUEFA Super Cup.[40] His first goal came on 11 September 2022, scoring the last goal in a 4–1 win overMallorca.[41] On 11 October, he scored a header in the 95th minute againstShakhtar Donetsk in theChampions League group stage, which allowed his side to draw 1–1 and qualify for theknockout phase. While jumping for the header, Rüdiger collided with Shakhtar goalkeeperAnatoliy Trubin and sustained a cut to the face that required 20 stitches.[42][43] In the2023–24 season, he achieved his first La Liga and second Champions League title,[44] in which he was named in the Team of the Season for the latter.[45] On 1 April 2025, he scored the decisive goal againstReal Sociedad during extra time, securing his team's place in theCopa del Rey final with a 5–4 aggregate victory.[46] On 27 April during the 2–3 Copa del Rey final defeat toBarcelona, Rüdiger received a red card on the bench after continuously attempting to threaten a referee after a controversial challenge including throwing an object, and he was continuously held back by his teammates. Rüdiger's actions were heavily condemned, and he was ultimately handed a six-match ban.[47][48][49][50]
Rüdiger was eligible to play for Germany andSierra Leone, his mother's homeland[51] and was a member of several German national youth football teams up to theGermany U21 team.[52]
He made his debut for theGermany national team on 13 May 2014 in a 0–0 draw againstPoland.[53] Although he was initially included in his nation's 23-man squad forUEFA Euro 2016, Rüdiger was later ruled out of the tournament due to injury, after tearing theanterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session on 7 June.[54]Rüdiger was part of the Germany national squad which won the2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. He played four matches in the tournament, including the 1–0 win overChile in thefinal.[55] On 8 October 2017, he headed his first international goal in a 5–1 home win overAzerbaijan inWorld Cup qualifying.[56]
Rüdiger was included in Germany's final 23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup on 4 June 2018.[57] On 23 June, he was picked up for the second group stage match againstSweden as first choicecentre-backMats Hummels suffered an injury, the game ended 2–1 win for Germany.[58][59] Four days later, he did not play the last group stage match and his side were knocked out bySouth Korea after a 2–0 defeat.[60] On 19 May 2021, Rüdiger was selected to the squad for theUEFA Euro 2020.[61] He played every minute in the tournament for Germany as they were eliminated byEngland in theround of 16.[62]
In November 2022, Rüdiger was called up for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[63] However, Germany were knocked out from the group stage, as they finished third behindJapan andSpain.[64]
Rüdiger was included in the Germany squad for theEuro 2024.[65]
Normally a centre-back, Rüdiger is a versatile defender, who is also capable of playing as afull-back on either flank.[66] In 2015,ESPN described him as a "...tall, quick and athletic defender who is ... comfortable with the ball at his feet", also touting him as an "interesting prospect" who "...has all the necessary physical attributes to become a top-level centre-back."[67] His Chelsea profile described him as a "tough tackler" and a "commanding presence in the air."[68] In addition to his strong physical attributes and aggressive playing style, he is also known for his leadership qualities and passing ability.[67][69] Rüdiger’s speed and athleticism, coupled with his understanding of the game, allow him to excel both in man-to-man situations and in zonal marking.[70]
Rüdiger was born inBerlin[71] to anAfro-German father, Matthias, and a Sierra Leonean mother, Lily. He was named after Spanish actorAntonio Banderas.[72] He grew up in the Berlin neighbourhood ofNeukölln and is the half-brother ofSahr Senesie.[73][74] Rüdiger has often spoken out onracism in the sport, most notably after a match againstTottenham Hotspur on 24 February 2020.[75] In 2021, he wrote an article forThe Players' Tribune, entitled "This Article Will Not Solve Racism in Football", on the subject, discussing his experiences with racism throughout his life and career, and potential ways to fight it.[76] He is married to Laura Rüdiger[77] and he has a son and a daughter.[78]
Rüdiger is a practisingMuslim.[79] In 2020, Rüdiger gave alike to an Islamistic diatribe against French PresidentEmmanuel Macron onInstagram. He later issued an apology for not reading the full post which was written in cyrillic.[80] In March 2024, Rüdiger posted a photo of himself in a whiteihram robe and on a prayer rug, with his index finger of his right hand pointing to the sky, with a greeting forRamadan in the caption.
"As a devout Muslim, I practice my faith, but I firmly distance myself from any kind of extremism and accusations of Islamism. Violence and terrorism are absolutely unacceptable. I stand for peace and tolerance."
"From the point of view of the BMI, the so-called 'tauhid' finger is to be understood as a declaration of faith and, in this respect, classified as unproblematic with regard to public safety. This applies regardless of the fact that Islamist groups appropriate this symbol and misuse it for their own purposes."
As a result, together with theGerman Football Association, Rüdiger filed a complaint against Reichelt for defamation, insult, and incitement to hatred. The proceedings were later terminated by theOffice of the Public Prosecutor based on grounds that the statement was covered under freedom of expression.[81][82]
^Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance inFIFA Intercontinental Cup, five appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
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