Credit: X
Former Real Madrid and Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil heaped praise on ex-teammate Antonio Rudiger and hailed him as the ‘best defender at the moment’. Ozil’s comments came after Rudiger’s latest outing in his team's recent 1-0 home triumph over RCD Mallorca. The former Arsenal star said that Chelsea are missing the presence of the 2021 Champions League-winning defender.
The 30-year-old left Chelsea and joined Los Blancos on a Bosman move in 2022, emerged as one of the top performers for his side, and established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world football. He is currently a part of Real Madrid, the team that sits at the top of the La Liga standings.
After the German centre-back's recent notable performance, Ozil hailed his compatriot as the best in the world. Not only this, but he also slammed Chelsea for letting go of the defender. The former Germany footballer posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Prime Toni Rüdiger is just the world's best defender at the moment. Incredible season for my former club Real Madrid. You can also ask [Erling] Haaland or [Victor] Osimhen how good he is! Look what has happened with Chelsea after he left... they are missing his mentality every day.”
Rudiger’s Real Madrid contract will come to an end in 2026. He has helped his side win three trophies, including one Copa del Rey triumph while bagging three goals in 77 overall games for them. Before joining the club, he spent five seasons at Chelsea, scoring 12 goals and seven assists in 203 overall matches for the side, helping them clinch five trophies.
