Former Real Madrid and Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele has claimed that he encouraged Antonio Rudiger to swap Stamford Bridge for the Bernabeu.
Makelele made the move in the opposite direction when he signed for the Blues in the summer of 2023. The Frenchman would go on to make 217 appearances for the west London club and was a crucial part of the Jose Mourinho squad that took the league by storm two decades ago.
Rudiger, meanwhile, had the chance to move to the Spanish capital in 2022 as the clock ticked down on his contract.