Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé has this week moved to throw his full backing behind teammate Antonio Rüdiger. This comes amid the assurance that, away from the pitch, the all-action defender is incomparable to his persona on it.
Stopper Rüdiger has of course long earned for himself a reputation as public enemy no.1 on the part of many sets of La Liga fans.
The former Chelsea man is viewed as something of a loose cannon on the pitch, liable to take drastic action and risk being sent off in a petulant manner with off-ball antics.
Many defend his behaviour as towing but not overstepping the line, with the ultimate goal simply to gain an advantage on his opponent.
Others, though, have long slammed Rüdiger as disrespectful and downright dangerous.
Speaking during an interview with German outlet BILD (as cited by Fabrizio Romano) this week, the aforementioned Kylian Mbappé was therefore drawn on the reputation of his Real Madrid teammate. And the Frenchman made use of the opportunity to launch a stern defence of Rüdiger, insisting:
“Rüdiger is the perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge people solely by how they behave on the pitch. Of course, he’s crazy on the pitch, the way he goes into tackles and the way he acts.
“But in the dressing room, he’s completely different.”
Conor Laird – GSFN
