The ever-reliable German star was excellent for Real Madrid last season, helping the team win La Liga and Champions League titles.
Euro 2024 was just a blip in Rüdiger’s 2023-24 campaign. He had hoped to help Germany win the competition on home soil, but they were beaten by eventual winners Spain in the quarter-finals.
Rüdiger thought about it
Rüdiger did a good job at the Euros, even though he could have missed the tournament altogether. According to Bild (via Diario AS), he considered leaving the German national team after receiving criticism over a social media post where he celebrated Ramadan.
According to the report, it was Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann who managed to dissuade the defender from taking an early international retirement. Real Madrid would likely have been disappointed that he was convinced to stay, as they would prefer none of their players to be called up for international duty due to the busy schedule.