He is exaggerating — Rudiger denies stomping Getafe player on purpose

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger has fiercely defended himself against accusations of violent conduct, dismissing claims that he intentionally kneed Getafe defender Diego Rico in the face.

Speaking during the pre-match press conference for  Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg clash against Manchester City, the 33-year-old directly addressed the incident.

“I’ve seen the slow-motion replays, and it looks terrible,” Rüdiger admitted. But if you watch the play itself… I’m not going to argue with him, but I didn’t kill him,” he said pointedly.

“He shouldn’t exaggerate the contact, because if I had gone in with the intention to injure him, I’d have injured him. I spoke with him after the match. If you freeze-frame the image, it doesn’t tell you everything. 

“And it wasn’t a red card, why didn’t get sent off? I never intended to hurt him. I like to be tough when I play, but I have limits that I don’t cross. That’s why I think those statements are a bit exaggerated. Maybe he wants to be the star of the show, but he should keep it low-key.”

Despite intense public scrutiny and the visually alarming nature of the collision, Rüdiger successfully avoided a red card during the match, with VAR declining to intervene. He has also faced no further disciplinary sanctions from La Liga.

The incident occurred during the first half of Real Madrid's shock 1-0 La Liga home defeat to Getafe at the Santiago Bernabéu on March 2nd. After Rico fell to the turf near the touchline following a push from Arda Güler, Rüdiger tripped while stepping over him and drove his knee forcefully into the grounded Spaniard's jaw. 

While Rico was ultimately able to recover and finish the match, the Getafe full-back was left completely incensed, subsequently conducting a scathing interview with Cadena Cope. 

He explicitly accused Rüdiger of deliberate aggression, stating: "You can see how he practically moved his teammate out of the way just to smash my face in. If he had caught me wrong, he could have left me there, flat on the pitch." 

Rico further fanned the flames by asserting that if their roles had been reversed, he would have been slapped with a 10-match ban and suspended for the rest of the season.