"I was on the floor" - Antonio Rudiger opens up on 'hardest time' in his Chelsea career

Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has confirmed that he will leave Stamford Bridge when his contract with the Blues expires at the end of the season. In a heartfelt tribute, the centre-back recalled several memories, including the hardest period of his stint in London.

It was during the 2020-21 campaign when Chelsea shook the football world by upsetting the odds to win the UEFA Champions League. Antonio Rudiger played an important role in that triumph but it wasn't all rosy for the defender prior to the period.

The defender endured a torrid time during Frank Lampard's managerial stint, with the Englishman rating the likes of Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori over him. However, things quickly changed after Thomas Tuchel replaced Lampard in January 2021, with Rudiger regaining his spot under the German.

The defender opened up on that difficult moment while recalling the atmosphere in Chelsea's dressing room after they won the Champions League final last year.

"And if there is one moment that sums everything up for me, it would be the scene in the toilets after we won the Champions League Final," he wrote in his tribute as it appeared on The Players Tribune.

He went on to add:

"Obviously, that was a crazy season for me. I hate to say crazy, but what other word could I use? Not even six months before that final, I was on the floor, brother. At the time, I’d been dropped from the squad, and I couldn’t even get a reason why. We had a meeting one day, and the manager told me that we had a deep squad, and that he preferred others over me. Boom — that was it."

"After that, there were a lot of rumors. I was getting a lot of abuse on social media. It was the hardest time in my career, and I stayed silent because I did not want to cause issues for the club," he said.

What does the future hold for the 29-year-old?

What's next for Antonio Rudiger and Chelsea?

Antonio Rudiger is expected to join a new club as a free agent this summer after confirming that he'll leave Stamford Bridge after his contract expires in two months' time.

Meanwhile, Chelsea will be looking to kick off preparations for the upcoming campaign after playing their last game of the season this weekend. It remains to be seen which players will leave or join the club this summer.