Introduction to the Incident
The German defender made the headlines after losing his coolness when his Real Madrid team lost the Spanish Cup final in 2025. The defender, who had already been replaced, reacted angrily to a referee decision against his teammate Kylian Mbappe. Gestures and verbal clashes, which often bound to abuse, are quite common in football, but Rüdiger went far beyond.
Context of the Incident
Real had canceled her media obligations and an open training before the game after the referee cried in a television interview in which the effects on him and his family discussed the continuing verbal criticism against referees on Real Madrid TV. The referee stated that when a child goes to school and people tell him that his father is a thief, it is confusing. Real Madrid struck shortly afterwards, stating that these comments that were made intentionally 24 hours earlier against one of the participants of the last evidence of a clear and obvious hostility and hostility to Real Madrid.
The Incident
The 32-year-old was wild in his eyes when he was originally held back by teammates and coaching staff before hurling an object that was accepted as an ice cube to the referee. The Spanish official confirmed that the object had missed him, and Rüdiger was sent off and later banned for six league games. The bad blood fulfilled in the final phase, with Jude Bellingham and Lucas Vazquez being sent for their reactions.
Consequences for Rüdiger
He will miss the rest of Real Madrid’s domestic season while trying to revise Barcelona’s command lead in La Liga. The Spanish Football Association stated that the ban was "due to minor violence against the referees", which means that Rüdiger avoided the longer suspension that many expected observations. Rüdiger revealed that he had undergone knee surgery and had his participation regardless of the ban.
Reaction to the Incident
Rüdiger apologized shortly after the incident for his actions on social media. The conviction for Rüdiger’s behavior was almost universal. Several other Real Madrid players reacted angrily, but the defender is widely considered to have crossed a line. Former German National Dietmar Hamann wants the Germany’s FA (DFB) to take measures, suggesting that the DFB should suspend him. However, the German national team manager Rudi Völler suggested that the DFB would probably not prohibit the player, even if it condemned his actions.
History of Controversy
It is not even the first time this year that Rüdiger was in trouble. UEFA, a management committee of the European Football, opened a case against him and teammates Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius JR and Dani Cemballos after victory against the City rival Atletico in March. Rüdiger was also criticized for making a gesture of the neck in punishments and for saying "Viva Athletic de Bilbao!" in the Real Madrid -Judge cabin after a cup victory against Bilbao’s violent rival, Real Sociedad. Before these two incidents, Rüdiger’s career, which began in the Bundesliga with Stuttgart and was also taken into spell in Roma and Chelsea, was largely controversial. He had been targeted by the distant right during Germany’s Euro 2024 campaign.
