28-year-old Chelsea defender of latest Euro 2020 ‘bite’ scandal infamy, Antonio Rudiger, gave a candid, heart-to-heart interview with professor, consultant and author, Damian Hughes.
Rudiger’s candor was appealing as he provided an insight into what makes him a tough, committed defender, apart from being also a hugely popular member in the Chelsea dressing room.
In his heart-tugging interview with Hughes as part of the Unstoppable series on Chelsea’s official website, Rudiger opened up on how he has developed his character both on and off the football pitch, emphasizing how his childhood was hugely instrumental in developing his character and strength.
The German international fully values the fact that he grew up in a tough neighborhood in Berlin, where he saw the good and bad sides of life.
“In my view it was the best thing that happened to me that I grew up there,” he said. “The part of Berlin where I grew up is known in Germany as being a particularly tough area. Only the strongest survive, so to speak.
“I saw the dark side of life there at times. Now that I’m playing football, I see also the other side but that dark side helped me to grow as a player and as a person.”
Rudiger – who made the headlines for the wrong reasons for his alleged ‘bite/nibble’ on France’s Paul Pogba in their France-Germany Euro 2020 international encounter – admitted that people are often too hasty to judge a person’s situation, although adding that he doesn’t let such negative judgement faze him.
“People like to judge very quickly based on what they only see on the pitch because that’s the only way people know me,” he added. “This is not really something that bothers me too much because I know who I am and that’s the most important thing.
“Off the field I am the person who loves to make jokes, who wants a good vibe around. When I enter the pitch, that all changes. When I play, of course I want to win and I channel everything into football.”
Rudiger’s self-education appears to have worked, as he has developed into a competent center-back and a person well liked by most, and has already gone on to do big things in the game – bites aside, of course.