According to reports, Antonio Rüdiger’s highly controversial actions after the El Clásico, including his confrontation with the referee, have drawn severe criticism from football fans in Germany. In fact, 78% of them, in a survey conducted by Bild, demanded the permanent removal of the Real Madrid defender from the national team.

In this regard, Rudi Völler, as the sporting director of the German national team, criticized the defender’s behavior and told the German press agency: “As an international player for the German national team, Rüdiger must change his reactions. He is a great player, but as a member of the German national team, he must raise his standards and, without exception, demand respect for himself and others.”

Rüdiger, who may face a heavy suspension for confronting referee Ricardo de Burgos after the Copa del Rey final, backtracked from his behavior hours later in an Instagram post, writing: “There is no excuse for my behavior. I deeply regret it and once again apologize to the referee and those who were upset by my actions.”