Rudiger played through the match despite not being at 100% physically, making an extra effort to help the team in the absence of other defenders like David Alaba and Eder Militao. However, the German player was eventually replaced by Endrick with 10 minutes left in extra time, completely exhausted.

After leaving the field, Antonio watched as Barcelona scored their third goal through Jules Kounde and saw Real Madrid push hard in the final minutes to equalize and send the match to penalties. In that tense moment, the referee, Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea, called a foul on Kylian Mbappe for a challenge on Eric Garcia, which denied Los Blancos their final chance to attack.

This sparked an outburst of fury among the Real Madrid players, especially those on the bench, like Vinicius. However, the most vocal protest came from Rudiger, who made exaggerated arm gestures and verbal reprimands, even appearing to throw an object onto the field. This eventually led to him being sent off.

The red card, however, did little to calm the anger of the German star, who had to be restrained by his own teammates to prevent him from approaching the referee and continuing his protests. This incident is likely to result in a severe sanction for Antonio in the future.

Rudiger wasn’t the only Real Madrid player sent off

The scandal in the final minutes, as Real Madrid players protested against referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea, didn’t end with Antonio Rudiger’s red card. The referee judged that, in addition to the German defender, Lucas Vazquez had also displayed inappropriate behavior in that situation, resulting in his red card as well.

Like Rudiger, Vazquez was also off the field when he received his red card, so Real Madrid was able to finish the final minutes of the match against Barcelona with 11 players on the field.

What’s next for Real Madrid?

The loss in the 2025 Copa del Rey final marks the third major setback for Real Madrid this year. Earlier, they were defeated 5-2 by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia. Just a few weeks ago, they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, losing both legs of the quarterfinals to Arsenal.

With this in mind, Real Madrid now has just one competition left to focus on in the 2024-25 season: La Liga. Currently, they sit in second place with 72 points, 4 behind leaders Barcelona, and have 5 matches remaining. Their next game is this Sunday against Celta Vigo at home.

With goals from Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, and Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid secured a strong victory, bringing their tally to 14 goals in the Spanish league. Endrick, who came on as a substitute in the second half, played a crucial role in earning a penalty.

After the match, star defender Antonio Rüdiger, a respected leader in the Madrid locker room, made a point to compliment the young Brazilian. “You’re perfect, Bobby (Endrick. Every time you come on, you make something happen,” the German told Endrick. In the previous match, the 18-year-old had scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League after coming on in the second half.

Endrick set to start in next LaLiga match?

There’s growing speculation that Endrick could be in the starting lineup for Real Madrid’s next La Liga match. With Ancelotti planning to rotate his squad, the young Brazilian may step in for Mbappe, who leads the team in goals this season.

Wearing the No. 16 jersey, Endrick has already impressed Madrid’s coaching staff, led by Ancelotti, as well as club president Florentino Perez. Valued at €60 million, the Palmeiras sensation has appeared in six matches for Real Madrid, scoring twice and providing one assist. Notably, he has yet to start a match.

Real Madrid returns to action on Tuesday, October 24, in a home fixture against Alaves. The match at the Santiago Bernabeu will see Ancelotti likely make significant lineup changes to rest key players ahead of their much-anticipated clash with Atletico Madrid.

Endrick won first title with Real Madrid sooner than Cristiano Ronaldo

Even though Endrick didn’t see action on the pitch that day, the young Brazilian star still marked a significant milestone, celebrating his first title with Real Madrid as the team lifted the 2024 UEFA Super Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, didn’t experience such early success. Despite arriving in Madrid with high expectations, the Portuguese superstar ended his first season without any silverware.

His first taste of glory at the Bernabeu came a year later, when he helped secure the 2011 Copa del Rey. In that final, Ronaldo delivered a memorable extra-time header, sealing a 1-0 win against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, and playing a pivotal role in one of the club’s most iconic victories.

That is why it was eye-raising to hear that the former Chelsea defender would intentionally make mistakes to get the, at times, quiet crowd at Stamford Bridge into a match. In an interview with Sport in Germany, Antonio Rüdiger admitted to making deliberate mistakes during a match against Newcastle United.

‘I’ll be honest: I deliberately made a few mistakes because it was just too quiet in the stadium for me during this game, I wanted to wake people up with it.”

Antonio Rüdiger on getting opponents riled up

Antonio Rüdiger also admitted that he had tactics to get the opposition riled up while playing against him. ‘I like to analyze my opponents and think to myself: “Okay, let’s see how they react if I provoke them a bit”. ‘But it’s not like I pick someone before every game. That happens spontaneously.’

Since his move to Real Madrid, Rüdiger continues his world class form having played 6 games and scored 1 goal for the Spanish giants in LaLiga. Rüdiger won five titles during his time at Chelsea.

The truth is that while Chelsea were forbidden to fix contracts or sign players, the other clubs got down to work. This cast doubt on the permanence of several players at the club, such as N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Pulisic, Marcos Alonso, Cesar Azpilicueta, and several others.

While Antonio Rudigerand Andreas Christensen made the decision not to wait for the government ban to expire and chose not to renew their contracts with Chelsea and become free agents as of July 1. To seek to replace the players who will leave and be able to sign top players to compete at the elite level again, it is believed that Boehly will provide a £200 million budget to Thomas Tuchel. And it seems that the German coach already knows on whom he will spend the first millions.

Chelsea intend to sign Jules Kounde

As expected, Chelsea were forced to find a replacement for the departures of Rudiger and Christensen. The German will join Real Madrid, while the Dane would have everything settled with Barcelona. Tuchel’s player of choice to replace the Central Backs is Jules Kounde.

The Frenchman currently plays for Sevilla with a contract until 2024, and according to Transfermarkt, his market value is 60,000,000 euros. The 23-year-old was a key player this season for Julen Lopetegui, playing 41 of a possible 44 games.

Chelsea are determined to sign Kounde, and according to journalist Matteo Moretto, the Blues offered €60,000,000 for the player, although Sevilla are believed to be seeking €80,000,000. Based on the coach’s track record, beyond the 2018 signing of Kylian Mbappe from Monacoto PSGfor €180,000,000, the German never spent such a huge amount of money on signing one player. If Kounde’s move to Chelsea is completed, it would be the second most expensive signing Tuchel has made in his entire coaching career.

The 23-year-old defender was close to signing for Chelsea in July 2021. The Blues had offered 50,000,000 euros for the player, but the truth is that the offer from the English team was very close to the deadline of the transfer market and did not meet Sevilla’s expectations.

Rudiger made 202 appearances at the English club, scored 12 goals, and was never sent off. He also won 5 titles, including the (2020-2021) Champions League. Rudiger will leave Chelsea and will join Real Madrid as a free agent as of July 1, but El Merengue will still invest a lot of money in him.

He is gonna be announced as new Real Madrid player after the Champions League Final, to be played on May 28. However, the German has already signed a four-year deal, and medical tests also were completed. It is believed that Rugider’s salary at the Spanish club will be €11 million per year. In this context, the defender has confessed why he decided not to renew his contract with Chelsea and leave at the end of the season.

This is whyAntonio Rudigerdecided not to renew his contract with Chelsea

Rudiger is understood to have rejected the Blues’ first offer of £140,000 (165.536 euros) per week almost a year ago, and then the negotiations became more complicated. “Unfortunately, my contract negotiations had already started to get difficult last fall. Business is business, but when you don’t hear any news from the club from August to January, the situation becomes complicated. After the first offer, there was a long gap of just nothing“, the 29-year-old player explained in a piece for the Players’ Tribune.

Reportedly, Chelsea offered a new contract to thedefender of £230,000 (271.952 euros) per week earlier this year. Chelsea were prepared to make the Center-Back the highest-paid defender in the club’s history, but talks again broke down when it was demanded that the Blues also pay him a huge signing-on fee and his agentsother large sums.

Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government due to his close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine, and because of that, Chelsea were not allowed to make new signings or renew contracts.

According to Rudiger, he did not want to leave the English club, but the uncertainty over his future put him in a bind. “My decision came to the point, to be honest, in March. We’re not robots, you know? You cannot wait for months with so much uncertainty about your future,” acknowledged the German.

So it was that while Chelsea were waiting fornew ownership, Rudiger agreed his contract with Real Madrid. “I didn’t want to wait until June to sort out my future because it’s been almost a year of uncertainty. Obviously, no one saw the sanctions coming, but in the end, other big clubs were showing interest, and I had to make a decision. I will leave it at that, because business aside, I have nothing bad to say about this club”, the Center-Back confessed.

“The situation is that he wants to leave the club. He has told me in a private conversation we had. We have offered him everything, me and the club, but we can’t fight for him anymore because of the sanctions. Without those sanctions, we could at least keep fighting for him, but our hands are tied. We don’t take it personally, it’s his decision”, Tuchel acknowledged.

Telegraph revealed the latest effort Chelsea were willing to do for the player. Rudiger turned down a salary of €12.2 million per season. The English club thought that a salary of €236,000 per week was going to be enough to convince him, but he rejected it. The 29-year-old defender will join Real Madrid at zero cost, but El Merengue will still invest a lot of money in him.

Why Real Madrid will invest 59 million euros in Rudiger?

According to Marca, it has not yet been defined whether Rudiger will sign a four-season contract or a four-season contract with an option for a one-year extension. What is confirmed is that the defender will earn around 9 million euros net per year.

Furthermore, the signing bonus will be 8 million euros, paid at 2 million euros per season. So, Rüdiger’s salary will be €11 million per year. Over the four-year contract, the German will earn a total of 44 million euros (at the start of negotiations the player demanded 55 million euros).

In addition to his salary, Real Madrid will pay Rüdiger €15 million in commissions and milestones achieved. In total, from 2022 to 2026, Real Madrid will invest €59 million in Rüdiger.

However, according to Marca, negotiations between the La Liga giants and the player havebroken down. While this could be great news for The Blues, they still have to hurry up if they don’t want to lose him for nothing.

The likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have reportedlyshown interest before and, with Real Madrid probably out of the picture, it could be the perfect moment for them to make an attempt to sign him.

Report: Real Madrid step away from negotiations with Chelsea star

Despite it was reported a few days ago thatthey already had an agreement in principle, theSpanish outlet claims that Real Madrid are no longer interested in Antonio Rudiger, who has entered the final six months of his deal at Stamford Bridge.

The Germany international has been stalling his contract renewal as Chelsea were apparently unwilling to satisfy hisdemands, which may have also been too high for El Merengue. However, Rudiger can still negotiate for a pre-contract agreement with other clubs.

PSG and Bayern were previously linked with the defender. The Bundesliga champions were understood to be more interested than the French side but were alsoreluctant to meet Rudiger’s wage demands.

And just when it looked like his move to Real Madrid was all but done, thissaga seems to have taken another huge twist as Rudiger’sfuture remains up in the air. He won’t be lacking in offers, of course, but maybe he’ll have to lower his demands.

In January, thoseplayers who enter the final six months of their contracts will be able to talk to other clubs to sign a pre-contract agreement. That was how El Merengue acquired David Alabathis season.

The Austrian defender and the La Liga giants agreed on terms earlier this yearbefore his Bayern Munich deal expired in June, and Madrid seem keen on repeating the same formula to secure a Chelsea defender for the 2022/23 campaign.

Chelsea star has reportedly agreed on terms with Real Madrid for a free transfer

According to Ramon Fuentes of Mundo Deportivo, Antonio Rüdiger to Real Madrid is all but done as both parties have practically agreed on everything to materialize the moveat the end of the season.

The 28-year-old’s deal at Stamford Bridge expires next summer and it looks like he won’t be signing a new contract with The Blues. Rudiger has made big headlines for the last few months as his contract talks with Chelsea stalled and a host of European giants started to show interest.

Bayern Munich were one of the teams who were heavily linked with the Germany international but it seems that his next destination will bethe Spanish capital. Real Madrid would boost their defense with a great, free signing for the second straight year, something that would also help them to save the necessary funds to go after priority targetKylian Mbappe.

Nonetheless star soccer players are not complaining about the light bill at the end of the month, the top soccer players in the world are all earning well over $5 million a year.

Here is a list of 20 of the biggest names in the sport and their projected salaries for the season. The information has been pulled from various sources. Here are the yearly earnings of 20 of the top soccer players in the world.

*This list includes only salaries of current contracts and not endorsement deals.

Antonio Rudiger – $6.9 Million

Antonio Rudiger is one of the best defenders in the World, and will soon be a free agent, if his play has indicated anything, is that Rudiger can still land a better deal, he is a rock for Chelsea.

Zlatan Ibrahimović – $8.4 Million

Now at AC Milan, Zlatan Ibrahimović is still going strong, and it has been reported by Sports Illustrated that he makes $8.4 million at the Milan club. Zlatan still scores goals and shows no signs of slowing down.

Erling Haaland – $9 Million

Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland is reportedly earning $9 million in Germany but that will change drastically when he is sold. Manchester City, Real Madrid will surely make him one of the best paid players in the world if those rumors come true.

Sergio Ramos – $11.3 Million

Former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos is now at PSG and earns a reported $11.3 million, while it has not been all gravy at PSG, Ramos is still considered atop defender.

Karim Benzema – $12.4 Million

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has delivered goals at Real Madrid, Benzema has scored over 200 goals in his time at the club. At 33 there is still a lot of Karim Benzema to come.

Harry Kane – $13.9 Million

Spurs forward Harry Kane is a Tottenham legend and earns a reported $13.9 million. Kane has been the subject of various transfer rumors, but it looks doubtful he will leave Spurs.

Mohamed Salah – $13.9 Million

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is considered to be the best soccer player in the world at the moment. Salah is a goal scoring machine and could be seen as widely underpaid for the output he has had for The Reds.

Thomas Müller – $17.4 Million

Thomas Müller recently signed a new deal with Bayern Munich, and it is reported that the standout player earns $335,000 a week.

Manuel Neuer – $20 Million

To many the best goalkeeper of his generation, Bayern Munich star Manuel Neuer is earning a reported 20 million dollars per season. Neuer is still in top form and now in his 11th season at Bayern.

Paul Pogba – $20.2 Million

Paul Pogba is one of the Premier League’s highest earners and is reportedly on over a $20 million a year wage. Pogba may have to take a pay cut if he leaves Manchester United, but the French World champion has earned his keep.

Gerard Piqué – $21 Million

As shocking as it may seem, Gerard Piqué took a 50 percent pay cut to help club Barcelona fine tune its finances. That pay cut now reportedly is 21 million dollars in salary per year.

Robert Lewandowski – $22.6 Million

According to BILD, Robert Lewandowski is earning the maximum salary of $22.6 million at Bayern Munich. Lewandowski has had an excellent past two seasons and at 33 the Polish star is still going for more.

Philippe Coutinho – $22.6 Million

Philippe Coutinho is Barcelona’s highest paid player, according to AS the midfielder is at $22.6 million a year. Coutinho is extremely talented and just has not been able to showcase his skillat Barcelona.

Romelu Lukaku – $22.9 Million

Chelsea’s star forward Romelu Lukaku has returned to the Premier League and at Chelsea for a cool $22.9 million. Lukaku has yet to take off, but there is no question he is a good forward.

Kylian Mbappé – $24.9 Million

Kylian Mbappé earns just under $25 million at PSG but once his deal ends in France he will get a huge pay hike if he signs with Real Madrid. Kylian Mbappé is a talented soccer player and to many the next face of the sport in the post Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo world.

Eden Hazard – $26 Million

Real Madrid’s often injured star Eden Hazard earns over $25 million at the club. The return has been less than what has been expected. To Hazard’s credit he is trying to make it work at Madrid vetoing various transfer rumors.

Kevin De Bruyne – $27.8 Million

Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne is one of the best midfielders in the world with his leadership and vision. At under $28 million, De Bruyne is City’s highest paid player and well worth it. The game goes through De Bruyne.

Cristiano Ronaldo – $35.5 Million

The great Portuguese star is back at the club that elevated him to global fame, Manchester United. Now at the tail end of his career, CR7 is raking in a cool $35.5 million this season and oh by the way, still scoring goals.

Lionel Messi – $41 Million

The Argentine GOAT will earn a whopping $41 million from PSG for the 2021/22 season. Messi is well deserving of his salary given that he is the face of Soccer. There was a before and after in soccer until Messi arrived.

Neymar – $41.6 Million

Brazilian superstar Neymar earns $41.6 million in salary at PSG, now in his fifth season at PSG, Neymar has been highlight reel material but has yet to win the big prize in Paris… the Champions League.

The clubs after the 28-year-old defender are Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain, Bayern Munich and Juventus. More clubs could be added to that list if Rudiger gets closer to the summer transfer window without signing a new deal.

According to the Daily Mail in England, Rudiger’s demands could make him the highest paid defender in the world. Rudiger could stand to earn at least £400,000-a-week salary.

Antonio Rudiger to become highest paid defender

According to the Daily Mail, Rudiger earns £100,000-per-week at Chelsea, at the moment Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt is reportedly the best paid defender in the world, making around £400,000-per-week.

Rudiger recent performances for club and country and his standout performance in last season’s Champions League final have made it nearly impossible to believe that the German won’t find a suitable deal. Rudiger has won 5 titles in his career, 4 with Chelsea and 1 with Germany.

Every one of these players can also sign a pre-contract with any team come January, before the season ends, so while they might be staying at their current clubs for one more go, many might be locked up come January elsewhere.

Here is the best starting XI pending free agents that will hit the market unofficially come January and officially in 2022. Here are the best free agents in each position in European soccer.

Hugo Lloris – Goalkeeper

The French World Cup winner Hugo Lloris will be available at the end of the 2021/22 season on a free transfer. Lloris has yet to sit down and negotiate a new deal at Spurs, Lloris has stated he’d fancy a move to MLS if it were on the table.

Noussair Mazraoui – Right back

Noussair Mazraoui could be a steal in the summer as the Ajax standout is on the radar of Arsenal and Leeds United. Mazraoui is a very good defender and will be on the shortlist of many, but it’s the Gunners and Leeds who have put their names out there so far.

Antonio Rudiger – Defender

One of the biggest names on the transfer market come summertime is Antonio Rudiger, subject to big moves basically in all of the top teams in the world the German will not be lacking in suitors.

Niklas Sule – Defender

One hand washes the other as Bayern Munich have Antonio Rudiger on their radar, they could lose Niklas Sule. Sule has turned down various contract extensions and could be moving on in the summer.

Marcelo – Left Back

At 33 Marcelo still has a lot to offer any team in the world. A born winner and very exciting left back Marcelo could still get a chance to play in a top club or lend his experience in an MLS side as a DP. Marcelo will have offers.

Marcelo Brozovic – Defensive Midfielder

Marcelo Brozovic is on the radar of Manchester United but look for other clubs to pounce on the Inter Milan defensive midfielder.

Paul Pogba – Midfielder

One of the transfer sagas of the last two years, Paul Pogba is an extraordinary soccer player who may have done all he could for a subpar Manchester United side. Real Madrid, Juventus and PSG are just three of the major clubs who want the world champion.

Franck Kessie – Midfielder

AC Milan midfield ace Franck Kessie is said to be wanted by PSG and Manchester United, with the AC Milan project still getting off the ground Kessie may find it hard to say no to teams who will want to win now.

Paulo Dybala – Forward

Paulo Dybala is a talented soccer player who may have never lived up to his hype but has very impressive numbers. Dybala like many at Juventus will have to think twice about staying for a club that could be in Serie B come next year if found guilty of their financial wrongdoings. Dybala is a star at Juve but will he turn down a chance to play in the Premier League as rumors have stated some clubs are interested in him.

Kylian Mbappe – Forward

Two words, Kylian Mbappe, he’s basically Real Madrid’s to lose at this point. Mbappe is said to have been house hunting and flirting with Real Madrid for two years now. Other than a shock resigning at PSG, which looks doubtful, Mbappe is Madrid bound.

Luis Suarez – Forward

He may have lost a step or two, but Luis Suarez is still a lethal finisher in front of goal. It’s doubtful that major clubs will want to take a chance on Suarez at the tail end of his career, and even Atlético Madrid should be thinking about a replacement, still there are second tier teams that would take Suarez in a heartbeat and there is also that long standing rumor of his arrival to the Seattle Sounders of MLS.