There is a special relationship between Toni Rudiger and the FA Cup. At the end of his first season in England, he spearheaded our efforts in the 2018 final against Manchester United, thwarting Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and others as the Blues kept a clean sheet at Wembley.

Eden Hazard’s penalty was the only goal of a tight encounter and ensured Rudiger ended the evening with his hands on the first club trophy of his career.

The defender was named man of the match in the aftermath of that performance, his marshalling of Antonio Conte’s back three acknowledged as a decisive contribution in the showpiece occasion. Three years on, he is looking to do it all over again.

‘It was a special day,’ he recalls in an exclusive interview with the official Chelsea website ahead of today’s final against Leicester City.

‘It was the first club trophy that I won so it was very special and to experience it with the fans and a full stadium, against a big opponent like Manchester United, was really nice.

‘We played really well as a team and defended very well but the man of the match award was not really something that special for me. It’s more important that we won the trophy as a team and we deserved it because we were very good in the FA Cup that season.’

Wembley will not be full to the rafters this evening, as it should be for a cup final, but the empty stands and eerie silence that have greeted Chelsea’s players on our past three visits to the national stadium will be replaced by faces, colour and noise. Over 20,000 spectators will be in attendance and Rudiger is looking forward to playing in front of a crowd once again.

‘We’ve really missed it because football is about fans,’ he explains. ‘It’s about emotions and it’s about the emotions of the fans.

‘When we had a few thousand fans earlier in the season, it was like “wow” because it was so loud so I can imagine what it will be like with 22,000. It’s great to have them back, definitely!'

About a third of the crowd will be Chelsea supporters, with thousands of tickets also made available to key workers in recognition of their contribution over the past year throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Rudiger himself has been actively working to recognise and reward those on the frontline, providing food for staff at the hospital where he was born in Berlin and face masks in Sierra Leone, his mother’s homeland.

In London, a stone’s throw from Stamford Bridge, he has supported the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital by delivering treats for workers on his birthday in March. Earlier this week, he handed over his social media accounts to the hospital so they could showcase to an audience of millions the vital work still going on.

‘We always ask how we can help,’ Rudiger continues. ‘I wanted to give them the attention they deserve so that people can see what they are doing and see that they are the real heroes.’

The German’s record in FA Cup finals is played two, won one, lost one, with that 2018 triumph followed by disappointment last season as Arsenal came from behind to win 2-1.

On both occasions, and for much of the time in between, Rudiger has played on the left of a back three for the Blues and it is a role in which he has thrived. In the Premier League this season, we have conceded a goal per game less when the 28-year-old has started, indicating his importance to the team’s defensive solidity in recent months under Thomas Tuchel.

Meanwhile, in possession, the security of having two additional centre-backs alongside him means Rudiger can step forward into midfield and initiate attacks with driving runs when the moment is right.

‘I like the position,’ he says. ‘It’s no problem for me but I also like playing in a back four on the left side. That’s where I’ve been playing for my whole career mostly and you get used to it.

‘It comes naturally for me to step forward with the ball, just however and whenever I feel. With the back three, one of the centre-backs can always progress the game and this is what our coach demands.’

Tuchel’s expectations are not limited to ball-progressing defenders. The bigger picture is for Chelsea to challenge and now, with two finals in 14 days, there are big trophies in sight, an opportunity to end the most challenging campaign in the most satisfying of ways.

For Rudiger personally, 2020/21 has been a season of tests and tribulations as he has faced stiff competition for a starting spot in the team alongside a host of other excellent defensive options.

‘It’s been a crazy season,’ he admits. ‘From the mental point, it has been really, really tough for me. I would say it was the toughest I had so far in my career.

‘But at the end of the day, it’s so good to be in two finals and we are still fighting for the top four battle as well. This is Chelsea Football Club and for as long as I’ve been here for the past four years, I was always involved in finals. Maybe in the league we were not as good but we still managed to win trophies and be in some finals so that shows this club is all about silverware.’

Rudiger feels there is a unique mindset in the Blues dressing room that sets them apart when it comes to the crucial season run-in. Chelsea’s players have trophy-winning experience that today’s opponents Leicester lack, both collectively and among individuals, though there is no chance of the Blues underestimating a team who they’ve spent most of the season looking up at in the Premier League standings.

‘You have to be at your top against them because they are a very difficult team, they have very good players overall and also they have a very good manager, as far as I can see from the outside, who is doing a great job,’ adds Rudiger.

‘Obviously it’s a final so they will tighten up and we will also tighten up because we know these type of games. We know how to play them and this is what we have to do. We have to bring 100 per cent and be focused all the time.’

Much of the footballing world’s focus will be on this Chelsea team in the coming fortnight as we battle it out on three fronts, culminating in the Champions League final against Manchester City in two weeks’ time.

‘The situation we are in now is what you dream of as a footballer,’ claims Rudiger. ‘This should be your aim as a footballer. It’s also risky with a lot of pressure but for me this is a good type of pressure. This is what you have to enjoy and don’t think too much ahead, just take everything step by step.’

That standout display in the 2018 final against United preceded some incredible celebrations from Chelsea’s players, including in the dressing room after the trophy lift when Rudiger was memorably filmed dancing in jubilation. Might we see the same moves dusted off later tonight?

‘Of course we want to repeat this,’ he replies with a laugh. ‘I don’t know about the dancing but of course we want to have this feeling again and to enjoy it.’

Nothing  would please Chelsea supporters more than the sight of Rudiger with his hands on the Cup and his feet on the dancefloor later tonight…