Mesut Ozil has suggested that Erling Haaland struggled when he faced Antonio Rudiger in the Champions League last season.
The German legend lauded the Real Madrid centre-back as the “world’s best defender” and claimed that Haaland could attest to his brilliance having faced him in his latest tweet.
The Manchester City phenomenon’s battle with Antonio Rudiger was a major talking point after both teams drew 1-1 in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final last season.
Mesut Ozil suggests Erling Haaland struggled against Antonio Rudiger
In a tightly-contested affair between both sides, Haaland was not offered many goalscoring opportunities.
However, several fans and pundits alike seemed to firmly believe the Real Madrid colossus kept the Norwegian megastar quiet.
Mesut Ozil now seems to suggest the same about the contest between Erling Haaland and Antonio Rudiger in the Champions League in 2023, while heaping praise on his countryman.
“Prime Toni Rudiger is just the world’s best defender at the moment. Incredible season for my former club, Real Madrid. You can also ask [Erling] Haaland or [Victor] Osimhen how good he is! Look what has happened with Chelsea after he left…they are missing his mentality every day”, he tweeted.
Erling Haaland will be relishing facing the Real Madrid colossus again
Whether one agrees with Mesut Ozil or not, it is fair to assume that Erling Haaland would be relishing the chance to face Antonio Rudiger if Manchester City and Real Madrid go toe-to-toe in the Champions League this season.
The former Chelsea defender is one of the select few centre-backs who seem to be able to match Haaland from a physical standpoint.
Last season, in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium, Rudiger was benched, which meant that the 23-year-old was unable to lock horns with him.
But like every world-class player, Erling Haaland would likely be salivating at the prospect of dominating a defender of the calibre of Antonio Rudiger.
If given space to run in behind, unlike during both sides’ meeting last season, Haaland would be a nightmare for any centre-half to tame.
It would be interesting to witness the treble-winner’s strategy in place to get the best of one of Europe’s most in-form defenders if they faced each other again.
