“He tried to smash my face in,” says Getafe’s Rico about Antonio Rüdiger’s knee hit in his face. The campaign is being hotly debated – also with a view to the World Cup.
It’s the 27th minute on Monday evening (March 2nd, 2026) in the La Liga game between Real Madrid and Getafe FC (0-1). Diego Rico tries to hold the ball against Arda Güler on the sideline. Rico falls and slides on his back across the lawn. Antonio Rüdiger joins the duel and hits Rico, who is lying on the ground, hard in the face with his left knee.
For the Getafe defender Rico the matter is clear: Rüdiger tried “to smash my face in“, he said, emphasizing on the Spanish radio station Cadena Cope: “I think in situations like this, with this aggressive behavior, it’s obvious that he’s intentionally attacking me.“
Before the scene, Rüdiger had already spoken to him. “Then, on the very next play, the ball came to me and you could see him practically knocking his teammate out of the way to smash me in the face.“
Getafe FC Diego Rico gestures towards the linesman
VAR does not intervene
Rico was able to continue playing after the incident – from his point of view, pure luck. “If he had caught me wrong, I would have just stayed there, flat on the field.” If he had committed a similar foul himself, he would have been “suspended for ten games” the left-back claimed.
The scene had no consequences for Rüdiger, at least during the game. The referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz did not see the scene or judge it as an act of violence. The VAR also did not seem to consider the action worthy of punishment, which caused great criticism in Spain.
Former referee Alfonso Pérez Burrull said on Radio Marca: “This is an action that should have been checked by VAR because in my opinion Rüdiger should have been sent off.“Another former referee, Iturralde González, spoke about one on the SER broadcaster “Aggression is violent behavior.”
Rüdiger under observation at the DFB
The action could have consequences for Rüdiger with a view to the World Cup. The central defender, who turned 33 on Tuesday, has been an integral part of the national team for many years, but is under observation for repeated unsportsmanlike conduct.
In the Champions LeagueIn the round of 16 last season, he provoked the Atlético Madrid fans with a “head off” gesture. UEFA sentenced him to a suspended match ban and a fine of 40,000 euros.
In the Copa del Rey 2025 final, Rüdiger threw a roll of tape towards the referee and insulted him. He saw red and was banned for six games by the Spanish Football Association. After this action, some experts such as Dietmar Hamann and Lothar Matthäus called on the German Football Association (DFB) to suspend Rüdiger. At the time, DFB director Rudi Völler left it at a reprimand.
Nagelsmann about Rüdiger: “A lot depends on his performance”
The DFB has not yet commented on the current scene. Whether Rüdiger will go to the World Cup is also unclear from a sporting perspective. “It’s not set in stone and a lot depends on its performance,” said national coach Julian Nagelsmann in a Kicker interview. “I have a great relationship with Antonio, a good exchange about all facets, in which role he can come back or not come back because he is not fit. He had big problems with his knee.”
