Antonio Rudiger receives six match ban after aiming missile at referee

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger will serve a six-match ban for his furious outburst in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.

Barcelona’s victory over Real Madrid in the 2024/25 Copa del Rey final saw lots of talking points with Rudiger’s action taking the spotlight. The Germany international was one of three Madrid players to be sent off during Barcelona’s 3-2 extra-time win, with Bellingham and Lucas Vazquez also being shown red on the grounds of ‘aggressive behaviour’.

Rudiger in the dying minutes of the match burst into a fit of rage and launched a projectile towards the referee, and then had to be held back by multiple staff members.

Antonio Rudiger centre-back of Real Madrid. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Spanish Football Federation has now disclosed their final decision on the punishments for the affected Madrid players on their official website.

Rudiger has been handed a six-match ban, and Vazquez will serve a two-game suspension. Bellingham, on the other hand, has escaped punishment as his red card has been reversed.

Vazquez will miss the club’s first two Copa del Rey clashes in the 2025-26 campaign, however, Rudiger’s punishment is applicable across all competitions in Spain as the number of matches of suspension is more than four. This means that the German defender will miss the club’s last five La Liga games and then will remain sidelined for their opening fixture of the new season.

The ban will not have much impact on Rudiger, earlier on Tuesday, Madrid had put out an official club statement to confirm that the German star has undergone surgery on his left knee after picking up an injury in the Copa del Rey final.