Antonio Rüdiger: “Soccer gave me a platform and the means to help others, but my family gave me a purpose”

Behind one of the most highly regarded defenders in world soccer lies a story waiting to be told. In a letter shared exclusively with AS by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Antonio Rüdiger recalls his parents’ escape from the war in Sierra Leone, his childhood in Berlin’s Neukölln district and the purpose that has driven him since he was a child: to repay his family for everything they did for him.

On the eve of the World Cup, where he will represent Germany, Rüdiger has also joined a UNHCR campaign alongside other soccer players whose families also experienced forced displacement.

This is Antonio Rüdiger’s full letter

When people look at me, they see a soccer player. But my story began long before I stepped on any field, into any stadium or wore any jersey.

Learning where my family’s journey began, and what they had to go through to get here, has shaped the way I see the world and understand who I am. My parents fled the war in Sierra Leone as refugees, a conflict that lasted more than a decade and is often considered one of the most devastating in West African history. More than 2 million people were forced to flee. Imagine what that means: more than half the country had to leave their homes in search of safety. Villages destroyed, families separated and entire communities left to carry the trauma long after the war ended.

My parents managed to escape the violence and find refuge in Germany, where they had the chance to build a better future. Many of my relatives were scattered across different countries, trying to flee the conflict, simply trying to survive.

I was born in Germany and grew up in Berlin, in the Neukölln neighborhood. It has changed a lot since I was a child. Today it is known as a modern, gentrified area, but back then it was a very different place. Even so, I have only good memories. Those Berlin streets shaped me, taught me how to stand up for myself and made me who I am today.

At home, we did not have much, but I grew up surrounded by love, by a strong community and by people who supported one another. My childhood dream was never to play for one particular team. I could not even imagine that one day I would wear the Real Madrid jersey. My goal was always to help my family: work hard, succeed for them and, one day, give back everything they had done for me. And that has never changed.

And now, this summer, I am going to represent Germany at a World Cup. For me, it means coming full circle. It fills me with pride, but I also understand that this role and this visibility come with responsibility: to use my influence in a positive way. One thing is clear to me: I will give absolutely everything for Germany on the field. I want to win for my country.

Off the field, in 2022, I founded the Antonio Rüdiger Foundation. I do not often talk about it, because I have always believed it is more important to act than to speak. The foundation supports young people in Sierra Leone by helping them access education, sports and healthcare. This summer we will take that work to Washington, D.C., with our annual gala, and we will keep building a future that offers young people in the country a real opportunity.

Sierra Leone is now a country at peace, but the consequences of the war remain very present. How could they not? The wounds of a conflict can take generations to heal. Even so, I believe deeply in the new generations, and I want to help those young people move forward and dream big.

Today, there are more than 117 million displaced people in the world because of war, violence and persecution. It is a number almost impossible to take in. That is why I try to think about it another way: just a few years ago, my parents would have been two of them. Behind every number is a person. When you understand that, everything becomes real.

That is why I have decided to support a campaign by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, alongside other players whose families also lived through war and displacement. Each has a different story, but we all understand just how much the chance to find refuge can change a life. Together, we form a symbolic team. And despite everything our families had to endure, we made it to the elite of soccer.

My parents had the chance to rebuild their lives in Germany. Without that, my story would probably have been very different. That is why it means so much to me to help young people who need to find a safe place. Soccer gave me a platform and the means to help others, but my family gave me a purpose. And I will never forget that.

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