Antonio Rudiger, a defender for Chelsea, has acknowledged that when Stamford Bridge spectators were "too quiet," he relished "winding people up" on the field to energize the home team.
Rudiger left the Premier League team on a free transfer this summer, trading the blue of west London for the white of Madrid.
The center back's five seasons at Stamford Bridge, where he won the Champions League, FA Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup, came to an end as a result.
The German international became a Chelsea fan favorite, but their backline did have its odd moments.
And now the 29-year-old has acknowledged that he would purposefully stir up trouble by "having fun" and agitating individuals in order to rouse Chelsea supporters when he thought they were being too quiet during games.
Antonio Rudiger has said that leading up to his move to Real Madrid, he felt mislead.
Rudiger, who received a booking in this game, cites the thrilling 1-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle in March of last year as evidence that he acted carelessly on purpose. Kai Havertz scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute.
The German outlet Sport1 quoted him as saying, "I'll be honest: I purposefully riled people up because it was just too quiet in the stadium for me during this game."
I intended for it to awaken people.
Rudiger has admitted that he enjoyed being a point of contention for rival players.
Rudiger continued, "I like to analyze my opponents and say to myself, "Okay, let's see how they react if I provoke them a little bit."
However, I don't choose a player before every game. That occurs on its own.
Rudiger has made nine appearances for LaLiga and Champions League champion Real Madrid since leaving Chelsea as he transitions into the starting lineup.
Rudiger discusses his unhappiness with Chelsea.
Antonio Rudiger has said that leading up to his move to Real Madrid, he felt mislead.
The 29-year-old told Sport1 that he had only two choices: "Either I stay at Chelsea or I move to Real Madrid." "I didn't take Germany seriously as a destination. End of April was the beginning of my fairly concrete options. Before everything were evident, though, my brother slightly mislead me.
In the quarterfinals of the Champions League, Chelsea faced Real Madrid, and after Real Madrid lost the first leg, he abruptly exclaimed to me, "Toni, I don't know if this will still work! You must pass the second leg in order to continue. Those statements pained me, but they also gave me motivation.
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