Rudiger: I play hard and fast

Welcome to the club. How does it to feel to have joined Roma?
"It's a great pleasure to be here and I'm delighted to wear the Roma colors."

There were a number of clubs interested in you. What made you choose Roma?
"First of all, I have to say a big thank you to the coach and Mr Sabatini. They made this move a reality. I chose Rome because it's a great city with a lot of culture and I want to be a part of this great team."

You're a center-back but you've often played at right back. Can you tell us a little more about your playing style?
"I play center-back and I can also play right-back but I prefer to operate in the middle. As for my style of play, I play hard, I love to tackle and I'm quick too but there's a lot of things I have to improve in my game."

Do you know much about your new team-mates, including your future center-back partners Manolas and Castan?
"I know Manolas because I played against him during my time at Stuttgart. We played a friendly against Olympiakos. I don't know that much about Castan but there are a lot of great players here like Totti, Edin Dzeko, Pjanic, Maicon and Gervinho. I think we have a very good team."

What aspect of your game do you think you can still improve?
"I can score more goals from corners. I think that's one of the things I have to work on. I still have to improve on every aspect of my game because I am a young player. I can learn a lot in football, particularly from great players like De Rossi and from my team-mates at the back, Manolas and Castan."

Germany head coach Joachim Low has compared you to Jerome Boateng. Is he a player you look up to?
"Jerome Boateng is a player I look up to because we are the same height, have the same skin color and we are from the same city. And Jerome is one of the best center-backs in the world."

You've only played in the Bundesliga so far. What do you know about Serie A and Italian football?
"I've heard a lot about Italian football because I played with guys like Kuzmanovic, Molinaro and Lukas Podolski. They told me Serie A would be a good move for me."

You could make your Champions League debut with Roma. Is it a competition that excites you?
"The Champions League is one of the reasons why I came here and I'd love to make my debut in the competition."

What are your individual goals for this season?
"I want to be 100% fit to help the team and I came here to win trophies, the Scudetto. And for me personally, I want to develop further as a player and human being."

Finally, do you have a message for the Roma fans?
"'Grazie' to all the Roma fans and I will do my best whenever I wear the Roma jersey. Forza Roma!"