Rüdiger also urged the club — and himself — to draw the right conclusions and move forward rather than dwell on what was lost.
The Germany centre-back spoke to The Guardian from his country's World Cup training camp, with Rüdiger currently preparing for the tournament in North America where Germany are among the tournament favourites.
"These things can happen — you go two years without winning a title — but it should not be normal."
He addressed the noise that surrounds the club when results fail to meet expectations, describing it with characteristic bluntness.
"When you don't win there is a lot of noise about everything. There are many things... I would not say more important... but this is football, it can happen."
His prescription for recovery was equally direct.
"You just have to take the right measures and be honest with yourself, draw the right conclusions and move forward one more year. Very simple. What do they want us to do? At the end of the day, keep crying about the last seasons? No. Draw the right conclusions and move forward, because what was lost now cannot be recovered."
Rüdiger is expected to remain at Real Madrid for another season. He joined the club on a free transfer from Chelsea in 2022 and has been one of their most consistent performers, though Madrid's failure to win either La Liga or the Champions League in 2024-25 and 2025-26 has created a mood of introspection that extends beyond the playing squad.
The arrival of José Mourinho as head coach and the summer rebuild under the re-elected Florentino Pérez are expected to define whether the new campaign represents a genuine reset.