In an interview with The Guardian, the defender, who comes from a family that arrived in Germany as a result of the war in Sierra Leone, said he has immense respect for refugees.
Antonio Rüdiger will participate in the World Cup with Germany (Photo: EPAImages)
They say you can only understand something when it happens to you. This is the case of the German international from Real Madrid. His family was forced to leave Sierra Leone during the civil war that consumed this country.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that Antonio Rüdiger took a stand in defense of the refugees: “We have immense respect for them. It is not easy to leave a place behind and start over elsewhere. Especially since people do not flee because they want to, but because they have no other option. It is important to listen to them,” he told the British publication.
He grew up in a neighborhood with many immigrants
Called up for the World Cup by coach Julian Nagelsmann, the Real Madrid defender was born in Berlin on March 3, 1993. He grew up in Neukölln, a Berlin neighborhood with a large immigrant population. “If someone didn't speak the language, we all understood the language of football. It was wonderful and it still is today. We play with so many people from different backgrounds: black, white, it doesn't matter,” he confessed.
Over time, Rüdiger also rejected racial prejudice. In 2017, for example, while playing for Chelsea, he was the target of racist insults during a match with AS Roma. “In everything, there is good and bad. If someone commits a crime, if that person is black, for example, does that mean all black people are criminals? No. People need to think a little more.”
He won the Champions League with Chelsea and Real Madrid
Rüdiger's trophies include the Champions League with Chelsea (2021) and Real Madrid (2024), the FIFA Intercontinental Cup (2024) and the Club World Cup (2022) with Real Madrid, the European Super Cup (2021) with Chelsea, the Spanish championship, and the Confederations Cup (2017) with Germany.
