Real Madrid star considered international retirement after social media backlash

In the last 12 months, Antonio Rudiger has become one of the best central defenders in the world. The ever-reliable German star was excellent for Real Madrid last season, and he helped them secure titles in La Liga and the Champions League.

Euro 2024 was a small blip on Rudiger’s 2023-24 campaign. He had hoped to help Germany win the competition on their home soil, but they were beaten by eventual winners Spain in the quarter-finals.

Rudiger did well at Euro 2024, although he could have missed the tournament altogether. According to Bild (via Diario AS), he considered walking away from the German national team after receiving backlash on a social media post where he was celebrating Ramadan Mubarak.

According to the report, it was Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann that managed to dissuade Rudiger from a premature international retirement. Real Madrid would probably have been disappointed that he was convinced to stay, as they would prefer none of their players being called upon internationally because of the busy schedule.