Antonio Rudiger has left football fans in stitches after footage emerged of him marking Erling Haaland in a bizarre fashion. The German defender, 30, produced an impressive display at the Bernabeu on Tuesday evening as Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.
Rudiger nestled his head under the arm of Haaland and then proceeded to put his head under the arm of Haaland’s other arm.
The stats showed Rudiger got the better of Haaland as he restricted the Norwegian striker to just 21 touches – the fewest of any player that started the game. However, new footage that has emerged of Rudiger marking Haaland shows the unorthodox methods the former Chelsea man went to in order to keep the Man City attacker quiet.
In the clip, the centre-back is crouching under the arms of Haaland as he stalks him from point-blank range.
And while it did end up working, the antics still left social media in hysterics. Reacting on Twitter, one person said: “He is crazy fr.” Another replied: “His passion and aggression in defending is always up there. Such a performer 🤣.” A third added: “Rudiger can be dramatic 😂.” And a fourth responded: “He was trying to make sure Haaland fitted well in his pocket.”
Rudiger is known for his strange behavior, with the former Blues defender getting involved in music videos and hilarious post-match interviews in the past. Yet, despite his impressive display against Haaland, it remains to be seen whether he will keep his place in Carlo Ancelotti’s team for the second leg at the Etihad on Wednesday. The German international came in for the suspended Eder Militao.But the Brazilian is expected to return to the side to partner David Alaba in Manchester.
Rudiger and Haaland showed respect for one another during the game.