Lampard will on Wednesday night, come up against Antonio Rudiger, whom he nearly sold during his first spell as Chelsea manager
By Kehinde Okeowo
Chelsea interim manager, Frank Lampard has insisted his relationship with Real Madrid defender, Antonio Rudiger, is cordial despite the rumours flying around.
This is as Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-final first-leg match at the Bernabeu sees Lampard come up against Rudiger, whom he nearly sold during his first spell in charge of the Blues.
The German defender went on to shine under Thomas Tuchel, winning the Champions League, before moving on as a free agent to La Liga champions, Real Madrid.
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Addressing their perceived frosty relationship before the encounter, Lampard claims he does not have a personal grudge against Rudiger, insisting that what they had was a professional relationship.
He went on to say the Garmany international didn’t get enough playing time under him because he needed to give opportunities to about 27 players under his watch.
“My relationship with him was fine. A lot of people obviously like to speculate on relationships outside of the football club, and as a manager of Chelsea you have 25, 27 players, you have decisions to make every week.
“Antonio Rudiger played a lot for me. But obviously our story ended and another story continued as part of a successful Champions League-winning team. And he was a big part of it,” Lampard said.
Chelsea, after scaling Borussia Dortmund’s hurdle at the rounds of 16, travel to Bernabeu for the first leg of their double-header last 8 UCL games against Spanish giants, Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
The Blues will thereafter, host Los Blancos on Tuesday, April 18 at Stamford Bridge to determine who progresses to the semi-finals of the competition.