Barcelona won the Copa del Rey final after a memorable 120 minutes on Saturday, but the main talking point could be about Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger, who exploded with rage in the final stages of the match at La Cartuja.
In the final minute of stoppage time at the end of extra time, referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea blew for a foul on Eric Garcia by Kylian Mbappe, and that was met by extreme fury from the Real Madrid dugout. Both Lucas Vazquez and Vinicius Junior charged on the pitch, while Rudiger is reported to have thrown an object towards the official.
VINICIUS Y RUDIGER DEBERÍAN TENER 8 PARTIDOS DE SANCIÓN, QUE HACEN TIRÁNDOLE ALGO AL ÁRBITRO pic.twitter.com/gFWiqNd3Rn
— Info Blaugrana (@10InfoBlaugrana) April 26, 2025
Unsurprisingly, he was sent off, and so was Lucas after the full time whistle for his part in the incident. And it was also confirmed by Relevo reporter Rodra that a third Real Madrid player was also shown a red card by De Burgos Bengoetxea, believed to be either Vinicius or Jude Bellingham.
It will be Rudiger’s actions that steal the headlines over the coming days, as he had to be held back from confronting the referee by Real Madrid teammates and also members of the coaching staff. He was eventually dragged away before returning to the pitch after full time, at which point he exchanged handshakes and hugs with some Barcelona players.
And the frustrations spilled over from the Real Madrid bench at the end! 😳
Antonio Rudiger has to be held back by his teammates as he tries to get to the referee 😬 pic.twitter.com/CKBtqnMje8
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) April 26, 2025
It remains to be seen what suspensions are handed out to the three Real Madrid players that were dismissed, and also whether these bans would carry over to La Liga. If so, there is chances for them to miss out when the final El Clasico fixture of the season takes place at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in two weeks’ time. In the coming days, the Spanish Football Federation’s Disciplinary committee will rule on the matters, but at this stage, there are fears that Rudiger in particularly could be suspended for a while.
