Antonio Rudiger displayed an incredible reaction after Sergio Ramos confronted him during Real Madrid’s La Liga match against Sevilla.
Ramos was facing his former club for the first time since leaving the Bernabeu in 2021 on a free transfer.
The 37-year-old had a remarkable career at Real Madrid, earning numerous accolades and playing a pivotal role in their four Champions League victories during his time at the club.
However, on Saturday night at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, there was no room for reminiscing.
The Spanish center-back was entirely focused on helping his current team move further away from the La Liga relegation zone following a challenging start to the season.
Ramos displayed his typical combative style in the early stages of the match, partnering with Nemanja Gudelj on the left side of central defense, managing to avoid a yellow card.
However, those who were hoping to see a confrontation were, of course, not disappointed.
On 42 minutes, Ramos squared up to Real counterpart Rudiger – one of the players who effectively replaced him after arriving in the summer of 2022.
It was a clash between two of football’s most fierce competitors. And sparks did fly, although not in the way Ramos probably ever expects when he confronts another player.
While many players over the years would have backed down at the sight of a rampaging Ramos walking towards him, Rudiger did no such thing.
After the Spaniard grabbed him by the mouth and pulled his shirt, Rudiger did what not many would have dared to do – laugh.
RUDIGER is f**king crazy because I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone laugh at Ramos face 😭 pic.twitter.com/w94o0zITlg
— WolfRMFC (@WolfRMFC) October 21, 2023
The war of words briefly continued, but the Real Madrid icon eventually walked away when Rudiger’s team-mates stepped in.
It was a victory in the mind-game battle for the German, and a yellow card eventually arrived on 77 minutes for Ramos after a foul.
That came three minutes after David Alaba’s own goal had put Sevilla ahead, before Dani Carvajal’s header levelled the scores four minutes later.
Seven yellow cards were handed out in a second half as discipline deteriorated, but neither side could find the winner and the game ended 1-1.