Rudiger will board Real Madrid’s flight to Manchester. But this trip is not as a spectator or accompanying staff member—the German defender is eager to take the field against Pep Guardiola’s side, or at the very least follow Alvaro Arbeloa’s instructions, to contribute to the team’s goal of reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for consecutive seasons.
The German international is well aware of the significance of this match and refuses to be absent from his responsibilities to the team and himself—just like in the Supercopa de Espana final, he is determined to fight alongside his teammates.
Regarding the incident where he kneed Diego Rico
Rudiger stated: “Yes, when you look at the slow-motion replay, it does look terrible. I don’t deny that, but I had no intention of targeting him. Yet as that player (Rico) claimed, it was as if I had almost killed him. I think that’s an overstatement because if I had truly intended to hurt him, he wouldn’t have been able to stand up afterward.”
“I’m not trying to defend myself, but his post-match comments made it sound like I killed him. But he was still running around afterward, wasn’t he? Sometimes photos and VAR footage can look extremely intimidating. So why wasn’t I sent off?”
“Ultimately, I never had any intention of deliberately harming him. Everyone knows my playing style—I like to be physically strong on the field, but I do have my limits. I’m a human being, which is why I think he overreacted. Since they won the match, maybe he needed to be the center of attention in something. But you have to be careful with your words; if you say things like ‘I was almost killed,’ look at what’s happening in the world—we must remain rational.”
This incident occurred in the 25th minute of the La Liga round 26 match where Real Madrid lost 0-1 to Getafe at home. Rico fell to the ground while attempting to break through, and Rudiger’s knee struck him in the head.
