Antonio Rudiger was surprised by the decision of Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali to sack Thomas Tuchel after just seven matches of the season – and has thanked the German coach for making the impossible possible during their 18 months together at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel's appointment as Chelsea head coach in January 2021 sparked a huge upturn in performance from Rudiger. Deployed on the left of a back three, the 29-year-old blossomed into one of the finest defenders in European football and was crucial to the Blues' unexpected Champions League triumph just four months after Tuchel's arrival.
However, that did create a problem for Chelsea as Rudiger's contract expired at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. Talks were held over extending his time in west London but they reached an impasse. And in February, Chelsea were forced to operate under the sanctions imposed by Roman Abramovich after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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That left the Blues powerless to stop Rudiger from walking away on a free transfer in the summer and the centre-back agreed a four-year contract with Real Madrid. It was not an easy decision for the German international to depart, especially given his relationship with Tuchel.
And the defender has expressed his surprise that Tuchel was dismissed by the new Chelsea owners so early into the current campaign. Speaking in an interview with Sport1, Rudiger said: "First they let him get new players, only to then let him go after a few games. I was surprised at the speed.
"The day of his release was a sad one for me. I wrote to him afterwards and thanked him again for everything. He was there for everyone, not just me. If you look at where we came from and where he took us, he did the impossible. But you know how it is in football. Sometimes you're the hero, sometimes the bogeyman."
Rudiger experienced how quickly reputations can change during his time at Chelsea. But he believes he is ready to thrive at the Bernabeu having fulfilled his potential. He explained: "I would say that I've reached my peak. I'm really enjoying this phase right now. In the meantime, I can say: I feel complete as a player."
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