Nearly every footballer has a transfer story that didn’t go through, despite that being a desired move. Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger recently spoke with GOAL and detailed how close he was to joining Paris Saint-Germain.
Rüdiger notes that when he was at Chelsea, there was a desire on his part to join the Parisians. The German player indicated that he wanted out in 2020 after experiencing complicated months with the Blues. PSG was an option, considering former manager Thomas Tuchel had his eyes on him.
However, football can work in mysterious ways, as PSG sacked Tuchel in late 2020, and the German manager would eventually make his way to Chelsea. Under Tuchel’s guidance, the English side and Rüdiger would win the 2021 UEFA Champions League.
I wanted to leave. I wanted to go to Paris Saint-Germain with Thomas Tuchel,” Rüdiger said (h/t Le10Sport). “That was my wish… But that didn’t happen, and six months later, Tuchel arrived at Chelsea from PSG. We then won the Champions League together. It should probably be like this.”
Eventually, Rüdiger would leave the Premier League side in 2022 and join Real Madrid on a free transfer, where he also won the 2022 Champions League.
