Real Madrid is already in a new crisis after its second bankruptcy in a row, but the focus is on Antonio Rüdiger and his opponent Diego Rico.

A brutal act by the German international, who kneed Rico in the face, is being hotly debated in Spain. The scene caused huge anger at Getafe, especially since everyone involved at the suburban club accused Rüdiger of intentionality.

Rüdiger kneed his opponent in the face

Rico vented his anger the day after the 1-0 win at the Bernabéu Stadium: “If he got me wrong, he could have left me lying on the grass straight away. He wanted to smash my face,” the defender raged in an interview with the radio station “Cadena Cope”.

Opponent: “Knows exactly that he’s doing it on purpose”

In his opinion, the attack was not an accident, but rather a reaction to a small squabble shortly before. “You know for a fact that he’s doing it on purpose because we had an argument in the previous scene,” Rico continued.

“I would have gotten a ten-game ban”

“If it had been the other way around, I would probably have gotten a ten-game ban and not played the whole season,” he suggested. The smaller clubs in Spain repeatedly complain that different rules apply to the stars of Real and Barca and that more leniency is often shown.

Rico wasn’t alone in his outrage; the entire Getafe team was furious. The team left the stadium in disbelief that the German national defender was allowed to continue after this entry.

The word “expulsion” was mentioned again and again in the interview area. In addition to Rico, other leading figures such as coach José Bordalás and midfielder Luis Milla also expressed their anger. They called the scene an absolutely mandatory red card.