Antonio Rudiger, a seasoned center-back who has played alongside and against numerous top-level players, recently shared his thoughts on three of Europe's most prominent midfielders. The former Chelsea player, now with Real Madrid, ranked Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne above Jude Bellingham and Pedri.
In a video shared on Goal’s official Tik Tok channel, Rudiger was asked to rank these three players from worst to best. He placed Pedri in third place, followed by Bellingham in second and crowned De Bruyne as the best among them.
De Bruyne joined Manchester City back in 2015 from Wolfsburg for £55m - a deal that quickly proved its worth. Since then, he has scored 98 goals and delivered 161 assists in 366 appearances.
The numbers of Kevin De Bruyne in recent seasons are unmatched
The previous Premier League campaign saw the Belgian midfielder score seven goals and supply 16 assists in just 32 appearances. His performance also included more shot-creating actions (176) and goal-creating actions (31) than any other player in the Manchester City squad.
His exceptional performances earned him a season rating of 7.58/10 from WhoScored.com - making him not only the highest-rated player within his team but also across the entire Premier League.
Rudiger has faced all in his career so far with Chelsea and Madrid
Given that De Bruyne is more experienced than both Bellingham and Pedri - coupled with his higher ranking in recent Ballon d’Or standings - it is understandable why Rudiger would rank him above these two younger talents.
While there is no denying that both Bellingham and Pedri have promising careers ahead of them within European football circles, many agree with Rudiger’s assessment that De Bruyne has been one of, if not the best, midfielders in the world for some time now.
Antonio Rudiger's ranking of Kevin De Bruyne above Jude Bellingham and Pedri reflects a widely held belief about the Manchester City star's prowess. With his impressive track record and consistent performance in Premier League and Champions League games, De Bruyne continues to set high standards in European football. Meanwhile, young talents like Bellingham and Pedri have ample opportunities to prove their mettle in the coming years.
