The German defender Antonio Rudiger left Chelsea in 2022 upon the expiration of his contract. Despite leaving Chelsea for Real Madrid two years ago, his love for Chelsea is still deep, as he makes time to watch the Blues whenever he gets the time.
Rudiger became a fan favorite in the later part of his Chelsea career after helping Chelsea, under Thomas Tuchel, win their second Champions League in 2021.
The Chelsea current squad is packed with talented young players, including Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho, Nicolas Jackson, Joao Felix, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and more.
However, the former Chelsea defender, now Read Madrid player Antonio Rudiger, has named Cole Palmer the Chelsea player who has surprised him the most.
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Cole Palmer took the Premier League by storm last season following his £42.5m move from Manchester City to Chelsea. He provided 11 assists and scored 22 goals. His performance saw him crowned PFA Young Player of the Year, Premier League Game Changer of the Season, Chelsea Player’s Player of the Season, Premier League Young Player of the Season, and PFA Fans’ Player of the Year.
The England international has started this season as he left last season, scoring six goals and providing four assists in six games.
Who did Antonio Rudiger say is the Chelsea player who surprised him the most?
Rudiger told The Inside Scoop: “Cole Palmer, he surprised me a lot, he surprised me a lot.
“He really surprised me because you can say, “Oh, he was swimming with those great players”… okay, but then you have to go to another club and show it, and he did it.
“He did it and hats off to him because he’s a really, really good player.”
Rudiger praises the young Chelsea squad and the investment made the owners.
He added: “I always watch the games when I can, if I don’t play myself. But I always watch their games. There is a hell of a lot of talent, like really a hell of a lot of talent.
“I don’t know how much they spent on players already but this is their own strategy and I cannot say anything because the players they have… wow, some teams wish they could spend that amount of money and have these kinds of players.”
The German international is also excited by Nicolas Jackson’s scoring form this season amid criticism last season about his wastefulness in front of goal.
Rudiger continued: “I’m very happy especially for Nicolas Jackson, that he is getting now his goals because I think overall the player is fantastic.
“It’s just he was a bit unlucky with his finishing but I’m sure he will improve because his overall game, he is very, very good.”
Since joining Real Madrid, Antonio Rudiger has won the Champions League and the Laliga and cemented his place as one of the best defenders in the World.
