REAL MADRID star Antonio Rudiger has shown off his gruesome battle scars following his nasty Champions League knock.
The ex-Chelsea ace, 29, sustained a scary head and eye injury during Real’s 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk two weeks ago.
The centre-back was busted open after he heroically netted a last-gasp equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time to cancel out Oleksandr Zubkov’s opener.
The Germany international required a whopping 20 stitches to heal his wound after the match.
Rudiger flew back to Madrid covered in bandages but appeared to be in good spirits, based on a selfie he shared on the plane.
But the former Chelsea star showed the same toughness he brought to Stamford Bridge as he came off the bench in the El Clasico just five days later against Barcelona.
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The defender also competed against Elche with a face mask and Sevilla with a headband.
He is now gearing up for Tuesday night’s Champions League clash at RB Leipzig.
Even now, Rudiger’s injury hasn’t completely healed.
During the pre-match press conference, the defender’s eye was still blood-red with the stitches still visible.
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However, the German looked keen to start for Carlo Ancelotti’s side after admitting he is loving life at Real.
Rudiger said: “I’m satisfied with my performances.
“I feel I’m on a good run, I don’t have to play every game because we have a large squad with a lot of quality.
“I feel I’m a 10 out of 10. I’m surprised at how quickly I’ve adapted. I had the help of [Toni] Kroos and [David] Alaba.
“I’m very happy. As I said in my presentation, I’m going to give 100 per cent for this club”.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
