Antonio Rudiger of the Real Madrid football team confirmed that he fasts the month of Ramadan and performs the obligatory prayers during it, noting that it does not represent any problem for him.
During a lengthy interview with the Spanish newspaper MARCA, Rüdiger spoke about his commitment to fasting during the day Ramadan, keeping prayers and reciting the Koran.
Asked about the impact of fasting on players, Rudiger said: "Not me, because I'm used to it, I don't eat or drink anything during the day, and I commit to fasting fully."
He added that it is not easy, but he only needs the right mentality to deal with it, which Rüdiger considers one of his advantages, stressing that commitment during the month does not pose any problem for him.
He replied sarcastically about whether he had spoken to Ancelotti or Pintos (the physical producer) to develop protocol on the month of Ramadan, that if he told Pintos, he would make him run and listen to what he asked, so "it's best to talk to a nutritionist."
Rudiger confirmed that he is in contact with the nutritionist at the club so that he knows the amounts to eat and drink in order to balance his diet.
Antonio Rüdiger: “If Ramadan changes anything for a footballer? For me, no, I'm used to it. I don't eat anything, I don't drink anything, I strictly respect it. It's not easy, but you practice, you tap into your head and you get there. This is one of the main weapons I have, the... pic.twitter.com/z21wM5KXsv
— Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) April 11, 2023
According to Marca, the photographers who worked with him on the photo shoot and the interviewers were keen to hide bottles of water, coffee and sandwiches in front of the player while he was fasting, to insist that no one needed to change his lifestyle and there was no problem with eating them in front of him.
Rüdiger also reported that he keeps prayers, and the newspaper revealed that he interrupted the photo session to pray the afternoon and evening prayers in an adjacent room where he keeps a prayer mat.
The Sierra Leonean player referred to his continued relationship with his home country and his attempt to give back to society what he gave him as lucky.
The Merengue defender spoke in the rest of the match about his life in Madrid and how he adapted to live in it, as well as how he adapted to playing for the Spanish club and getting used to his different way of playing.
Rudiger also spoke about the Chelsea match scheduled for Wednesday, which represents a special match for him, as he was a player at Chelsea until last year, and stressed in his speech the difficulty of the match.