Erling Haaland went to the  Bernabéu as one of Manchester  City’s chief threats, but Real Madrid kept the Norwegian striker at bay.

Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger marshalled Haaland superbly in the first leg of the UCL semi-final. He had just two shots on target all night.

Rüdiger drove him to distraction, his diligent man-marking job producing this eye-catching photo of the pair. He stuck to Haaland like a limpet.

It’s not the first time he has been responsible for an amusing in-game image. He can often be seen running  in a highly distinctive style.

Rüdiger has previously said that such madcap antics are designed to “wake people up”. “It was just too quiet in the stadium,” he once explained.

The defender has also been at the centre of funny scenes off the pitch. Earlier this season, he strode through the mixed zone munching on pizza.

The 30-year-old German is very popular with his Real Madrid team-mates, who revel in his dressing-room dances after the team’s victories.

Rüdiger has been known as  ‘Rambo’ since he was a youngster. “They’d call me that because I was always ready for action,” he says.

He won the Madrid supporters over when he named former Bernabéu favourite Pepe as his idol: “I really like him - he’s such a good player.”

Having excelled against City after coming in for the suspended Éder Militão, Rüdiger is set to start in  the second leg in Manchester, too.