Serious allegations against Rüdiger
“I wanted to smash my face in”
March 3, 2026 – 6:35 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Antonio Rüdiger is in focus after the league derby against Getafe. His opponent finds clear words about the national player’s entry.
Getafe FC’s Diego Rico accuses Real Madrid’s Antonio Rüdiger of intentionally hitting him in the head with his knee in the league derby. Rüdiger tried to “smash my face in,” as Rico emphasized on the Spanish radio station Cadena Cope. The incident occurred on Monday evening in the first half of Getafe’s surprise 1-0 win against Los Blancos.
Rico explained that Rüdiger had already talked to him before the scene. In the next move, the defender moved his own teammate out of the way to attack him with his knee. Rüdiger hit his opponent hard in the head twice, Rico screamed in pain and then held his face. Rico said: “I think in situations like this, with this aggressive behavior, it’s obvious that he’s intentionally attacking me.”
The left-back was able to continue playing and described this as pure luck: “If he had caught me wrong, I would have just stayed there, flat on the field.” He emphasized that a similar foul would have resulted in him being suspended for ten games.
Former referee Alfonso Pérez Burrull told Radio Marca that the action should have been checked by VAR and, in his opinion, Rüdiger should have been sent off. However, the incident had no consequences for the Real Madrid player as field referee Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz did not assess the situation.
