National player Rüdiger reacts to brutal foul accusation

“If you look at the pictures in slow motion, of course, it looks bad. I don’t want to downplay that,” said Rüdiger in the press conference before the second leg of the round of 16 in the Champions League on Tuesday (9 p.m./DAZN) against Manchester City. “The way he talked after the game, you could think I had killed him,” said the 33-year-old, who is about to reach the quarter-finals of the premier class with Real after winning 3-0 in the first leg.

In the 1-0 defeat against Getafe in the Spanish league at the beginning of March, Rüdiger hit Diego Rico, who was lying on the ground, in the face with his knee in the middle of the first half. The German’s entry was not penalized by the referee. The VAR didn’t intervene either. “I like to play hard. But I also have limits,” said the defender. It was never his intention to deliberately foul the Spaniard.

Rüdiger: Didn’t want to hurt him

Diego Rico accused Rüdiger of brutality after the game. “No other professional would attack a player lying on the ground with such viciousness and knee him so brutally when the ball was not in that area.” The left-back had to be treated after the action, but was able to finish the game.

He didn’t want to hurt Diego Rico, said Rüdiger. “If I had intentionally fouled him, he wouldn’t have gotten back up.”