The bitter battle forced on DFB star Rüdiger
It is said that the German football national team does not have "defensive beasts". However, this is not the case during the home European championship, as there is Antonio Rüdiger. The story of the Real Madrid star also involves racism and Germany.
Spain's playmaker Pedri is not in the mood for it anymore. He knows what's coming. The Barcelona star is familiar with Antonio Rüdiger from the Spanish football league. The German from Real Madrid is indeed a "very good and physically strong" central defender, but there is something that bothers him. "The way he kneels bothers me because it hurts and annoys me," he said before the EM quarter-final against the German team (6 pm/ARD, MagentaTV and ntv.de-Live ticker).
Two-on-one fights with Antonio Rüdiger are never pleasant for his opponents. He throws himself into the duels with everything he has, blocks shots, prevents passes. Sometimes he kneels, sometimes he buzzes around the opposing strikers, sometimes he talks to them incessantly. All of this, especially his passion, makes him not only the defensive boss of the German team, but also the emotional leader, a pillar. "With Antonio, we know that he always plays well," said national coach Julian Nagelsmann recently. A greater compliment is hard to come by.
That was not always the case. At the Qatar World Cup, there was a scene that caused a stir at the time. The German team lost the first group game 1:2. While it was still 0:0, Rüdiger chased down Takuma Asano from Japan. In the process, he noticeably lifted his knees high, and some saw it as an arrogant outburst. Rüdiger himself denied it. But it was known that such scenes happened to him more frequently. In the 2023 national team year, he stood out particularly for his indecisiveness. The national coach mentioned in November that the German team had no "defensive monsters".
But all that seems to be a thing of the past. His performance in the quarter-final against Denmark was outstanding - especially because the 31-year-old managed to avoid any fouls during the 2:0 victory. In the last seconds, he blocked the shot of the Dane Jannik Vestergaard. The images afterwards are noteworthy: Rüdiger sank to the ground, balled his fists in his lap, and cheered, as if he had scored a goal. Again to zero, the second time at this tournament. "When I think about it now, I ask myself: What did I do? But that's just an emotional reaction. I think that was an important block," he said later.
"We are glad we have him"
With his attitude, Rüdiger has managed it. With football out of poverty. He comes originally from Berlin-Neukölln, the White Settlement. A place that still does not offer the best chances of a good start in life. But Rüdiger managed it. His way led him through Berlin, Dortmund, Stuttgart, Rome, Chelsea London, and finally to Real Madrid and the legendary Santiago Bernabéu. When Real wins the league championship in this season, he holds the store together. He is a two-time Champions League winner with two different clubs.
And he's a great guy as well. "He is what he is and that's how it is," said former Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos during the week about him. The defender gives his teammates immeasurable support. "We're glad we have him," said Kroos, laughing: "except in training." At Real, he made heads turn at the beginning by tripping over the sideline and still making an absurdly fast and popular impression. Kroos explained.
But that's not everywhere. Because there's another battle that Rudiger is forced into. Some look particularly closely from the right when it's not about football. Rudiger was named "Player of the Match" against Denmark. At the UEFA, this then leads to a procedure, he had to attend several interviews. In one, he said the 2:0 success felt good, but then he looked for something that wasn't perfect yet. "What we can criticize is that we didn't finish him off earlier," he continued.
The Tauhid Finger
Those who wanted to misunderstand him did so. They were outraged by the formulation "to kill." For example, former Berlin AfD chief Georg Paszderski got worked up over an "derailment." It's clear that Rudiger didn't choose the most elegant term and one can certainly criticize him for being too martial. However, it's part of the football vocabulary. What's meant is that an overwhelming team takes away the hope from its opponent that they still have a chance. Kroos said, "I believe everyone understood the connection, so we don't need to make a big deal out of it."
There are people who lie in wait to accuse Rudiger of something. He doesn't fit into their ideal image of a German national player, after all. He's Black and a practicing Muslim - even if that shouldn't matter these days. For months, the right-wing populist portal of former "Bild" chief Julian Reichelt has been working on him. It all started in March with an Instagram post at the beginning of the Ramadan fasting month, which now has millions of likes. Rudiger raised his right index finger.
Reichelt wanted to see an "Islamist salute" in it, Rudiger clarified that it was the "Tauhid Finger." In Islam, it symbolizes "unity and the uniqueness of God," explained the DFB star. And he added a few days later: "I won't let myself be insulted and defamed as an Islamist." He and the DFB defended themselves legally against the allegations. It's more than unsensitive of the UEFA to want the same gesture for a promotional photo and forced Rudiger to explain himself again.
The Poll
Rudiger, whose mother was born in Sierra Leone, has been accompanied by racism throughout his entire career. At eight years old, he had to ask his father what the N-word meant. He also had difficult experiences later: for example, during his Chelsea time in 2019, just before Christmas. At a corner, Tottenham Hotspur fans made monkey noises in his presence. The insults hit him deep. He felt "as if I were no longer a human being, as if I were an animal. A monkey," he told "Spiegel" at the time. "I believe that no one can imagine themselves into this situation who hasn't experienced it before." In this moment, he felt incredibly alone.
At the beginning of his career, he used to be vocal about this topic, but then he wasn't anymore. He himself had noticed this. "I wouldn't go that far if it doesn't bring anything," he told "Kicker" in February. "But it's just like that: When it comes to concrete actions, nothing really happens. Racism is ingrained in the system, and if it's there, it's difficult to get it out."
The depth to which racism is still ingrained was shown before the EM by a WDR survey. One in five (21%) stated that they would find it better if the German football national team were "whiter." 17% found it "regrettable" that Ilkay Gündoğan is the captain, who has a Turkish migration background. Gündoğan himself said that he was not surprised by the results, but found them sad.
It's a cliché, but Rudiger gives his answer on the field. He grew up on a Berlin playground, as the story goes. "The stronger one wins in the cages of Berlin - that's how it is," he once said. "You learn to fight your way through, regardless of how old your opponent is. In the cages, age doesn't matter - it only matters if you're good or not." You can still see it in him today.
In the lead-up to the European Football Championship 2024, Antonio Rüdiger, the "defensive boss" and emotional leader of the German national soccer team, may face criticism due to his passionate playing style, as seen during the quarter-final against Denmark where he avoided any fouls. However, his past experiences with racism, including being labeled an "Islamist" for raising a finger in celebration, have likely hardened him and his approach to such situations.
Despite the potential controversy, Rüdiger's impact on the German team is undeniable, as demonstrated by his performances during the championship and his role in securing a crucial block in the final seconds to help advance to the next round. His story of rising from humble beginnings in Berlin's White Settlement to becoming a two-time Champions League winner with both Chelsea and Real Madrid serves as an inspiration to many.
