At the start of the 2017 Confederations Cup, Chelsea had no representatives among the eight participating national teams. By the end of the 2017 Confederations Cup, Chelsea almost had one in the winning team after Germany beat Chile 1-0 on Sunday.
Germany starting center back Antonio Rüdiger is all but signed at this point, with a medical and the final signatures expected in the next few days, or perhaps weeks.
This team #ConfedCup2017 #champions #Hustle @DFB_Team pic.twitter.com/gapzDmq2k7
— Antonio Rüdiger (@ToniRuediger) July 2, 2017
Rüdiger lined up on the left edge of Germany’s en vogue back three, taking the position normally reserved for Gary Cahill at Stamford Bridge. The 24-year-old hardly put a foot wrong all afternoon, and made the highlight reel with this tremendous Gary Cahill-esque goal-saving last ditch tackle (making up for his Gary Cahill-esque initial moment of hesitation).
A great tackle and a good save prevent Chile from taking the lead - watch LIVE on @ITV pic.twitter.com/W4fiZmjx9j
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 2, 2017
After the game, he was of course asked about the quickly developing Chelsea situation, but he chose to play it cool.
"It's not about the future now, it's now about enjoyment. I need to enjoy this moment and I'm enjoying it to the fullest. The rest we will see in the coming weeks."
-Antonio Rüdiger; source: FourFourTwo
With Rüdiger involved in the summer tournament, he’s no doubt due a short holiday before returning to club football. Chances are, that will be with Chelsea, despite his coyish words.