Former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has since completed a move to Spanish side Real Madrid.

Rudiger opted to move to Madrid as a free agent, having decided against signing a new contract with Chelsea.

The 29-year-old centre-back has admitted that Mateo Kovacic, who joined Chelsea from Real Madrid, told him a lot about the Los Blancos, which convinced him to leave Chelsea for Real Madrid.

Antonio Rudiger told Marca: “To be honest I didn’t speak to Toni Kroos too much about it here.

“I spoke more to Mateo Kovacic about Real Madrid and he told me quite a lot.

“And because of him speaking a lot with [Luka] Modric, and because of him, I spoke with him and he told me ‘You’re going to enjoy it here, it’s the right step to do.’

“I never heard anyone say anything bad about Madrid. I’m looking forward to starting.”

Rudiger also claimed that he was only going to leave Chelsea for Real Madrid.

“Yes, there was interest from Barcelona,” he told a press conference. “But I told my brother it was Real Madrid or nothing.

“What I can promise is, I will give everything for the club and I want to win as many trophies as possible.

“You come to a big, big, massive club – that’s a huge step for myself. But I try to enjoy the pressure.

“I see myself as fortunate to be here, to do what I love.

“I was in the trophy cabinet of Real Madrid and there the pressure starts. This is something that you cannot run away from. You have to try to enjoy it.”