Antonio Rüdiger lost his composure during Real Madrid’s defeat to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. His behavior sparked debate not only in Spain but also in Germany, where even Lothar Matthäus, a German football legend, voiced his outrage over the center-back’s conduct.

During the Sky90 program, Matthäus criticized the Real Madrid defender’s attitude: “He went crazy, he had completely lost control,” he said. “He’s a German international and should be a role model. Yesterday, he forgot all of that.” The 1990 World Cup winner went on to demand a harsh punishment: “If he gets off with four weeks of suspension, he should consider himself lucky. I’m thinking more like a double-digit ban in weeks. I expect an XXL suspension. Plus, he was already on probation.”

A Meltdown That Ended in a Straight Red Card

The incident happened when Rüdiger, from the bench, threw an ice bag at the referee following a foul called on Kylian Mbappé for a challenge on Eric García. The act earned him a straight red card. The Real Madrid center-back completely lost control, insulted the referee, and had to be restrained by teammates to prevent further escalation. Hours later, the German defender issued a public apology to both the referee and the fans for his behavior.

Germany Reacts and Demands Action

Dietmar Hamann, another former international, called for immediate action from the German football federation. “The federation must suspend Rüdiger from the national team immediately,” he said during a broadcast on Sky. In response to the controversy, Bernardo Neuendorf, the federation’s president, stated that he would not comment at this time.

Rudi Völler, sporting director of the German national team, did speak out, sharing a statement with the SID news agency:
“Toni is a great player, but as a German international, he also needs to show that level of class in his behavior. He rightly demands respect for himself, but he must also extend that respect to others, without exception. Antonio Rüdiger is an exceptional footballer and a very emotional person, a fighter on the pitch, and he must continue to be that. However, in this case, both he and some teammates let themselves get too carried away by the extremely tense atmosphere that, for some reason, surrounds the club far too often.”
Völler added that the player had already spoken with him and national team coach Julian Nagelsmann following the incident.

The German center-back has not yet received an official suspension, but it is rumored that he could face a ban ranging from four to twelve matches, which would rule him out for the remainder of the Liga EA Sports season.