World Cup Watch: Real Madrid’s Antonio Rüdiger out to prove this is a different German national team

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger will be a key member of Germany’s defense at the World Cup in Qatar and he knows that some folks might not respect this group of Germans like they did in the past.

For Rüdiger, that noise in the background is not going to go away, but he is interested in trying to change the negative opinions that are out there. One person that the 29-year-old does not have to worry about talking junk on his Germany squad is his Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Júnior.

“When I speak to my Brazilian teammate Vinicius, he always tells me: ‘You have a great team: (Leroy) Sané, (Jamal) Musiala, (Serge) Gnabry, (Joshua) Kimmich — all are great players.’ I also think the same,” said Antonio Rüdiger. “We have a strong team — a good mix between youth and experience. We are Germany, it doesn’t matter how we played before. We have to learn our lessons and deliver now. We’re not as bad as some people think. But we have to show it on the pitch.”

The perception of Germany being “bad” is, indeed, out there and it is clear that Rüdiger and his mates will be looking to use that as bulletin board material moving forward.