Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger has defended Arsenal star playmaker and his international teammate Mesut Ozil from constant criticism.

Both Rudiger and Ozil were part of the Germany national team which crashed out of the 2018 World Cup in disastrous fashion.

Ozil subsequently quit the national team after being singled out by the press and former internationals. The 29-year-old cited racism and discrimination in his resignation statement.

Meanwhile, both Toni Kroose and Thomas Muller came out with statements suggesting Ozil is from and that there is no racism in the team.

Rudiger has broken his silence on the matter and has urged those commenting to actually read what Ozil said.

“What I don’t understand in this whole discussion is why some people are discussing whether there is racism within the national team,” Rudiger told Deutsche Presse Agentur.

“Mesut himself never said that in one sentence! I think it’s extremely sad how this has developed. Mesut was always a player in the Germany team that I looked up to. Too bad he will not be there now.

“In any case, we were all responsible for our elimination, it was down to individuals.”

See More: Arsenal fans react on social media as Mesut Ozil misses 7th game due to illness

Mesut Ozil missed Arsenal’s clash with West Ham United on Saturday afternoon due to an illness.

The Gunners registered their first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over the Hammers.

Arsenal are back in action next weekend when they take on Cardiff City.