UCL: OUR JOURNEY HAS ENDED LAMPARD SENDS A MESSAGE TO RUDIGER BEFORE THE REAL MADRID MATCH.

Frank Lampard, Chelsea's interim manager, said his relationship with Antonio Rudiger was great until the midfielder departed to Real Madrid.

Lampard will face Rudiger in Wednesday's Champions League showdown at the Bernabeu, a player he nearly sold during his first term in command of the Blues.

The German defender finally rose to prominence under Thomas Tuchel, winning the Champions League before departing as a free agent.

"My relationship with him was fine. A lot of people obviously like to speculate on relationships outside of the football club, and as a manager of Chelsea you have 25, 27 players, you have decisions to make every week.

"Antonio Rudiger played a lot for me. But obviously our story ended and another story continued as part of a successful Champions League- winning team. And he was a big part of it," Lampard said.