Antonio Rudiger received despicable abuse after Real Madrid’s recent victory, which helped them maintain their position at the top of the race for second place in La Liga.
Following their 2-0 win against Chelsea at the Santiago Bernabeu, during which Wesley Fofana was caught reading a note while the hosts were scoring, Carlo Ancelotti had the option to rest some players before the return leg.
Despite being able to bask in the glory of his team’s win, Ancelotti chose to focus on the game against Cadiz and fielded a fairly strong side.
Goals from Nacho and Marco Asensio secured a victory for Los Blancos and ensured that they remained ahead of Atletico Madrid in the league.
However, the disgusting behavior of Cadiz fans caught everyone’s attention when Rudiger attempted to give his shirt to an away supporter.
The home supporters were heard shouting “Black b*****d! Son of a b***h!” at the centre back, and you can see the incident in the video below.
Antonio Rüdiger se acerca a regalar su camiseta y recibe toda clase de insultos RACISTAS por parte de la aficion del Cadiz 😱😱 @Cadiz_CF @realmadrid pic.twitter.com/WHRQ4yEC7H
— FORO MDM (@elforomdm) April 15, 2023
Rüdiger had a run-in with the Cádiz fans, but he went to give his shirt to a fan and they threw objects at him shouting “son of a bi***”.@TheAthleticFC pic.twitter.com/8V2lr4wGJE
— Guillermo Rai (@GuillerRai) April 15, 2023
The Cadiz Fans Insulting Rudiger After The Match #Rudiger X #CadizRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/e7o6WSEoCt
— Real Madrid Videos & Photos HDTV (@RMVideosHDTV) April 15, 2023
Antonio Rudiger expressed his displeasure towards the home fans and then handed his shirt to a Real Madrid supporter.
A member of his team escorted him away as the abuse continued to pour down from the stands. The ex-Chelsea defender was visibly irritated by the comments being shouted at him.
Prior to Rudiger handing his shirt to the fan, Cadiz players tried to prevent him from heading towards the stands.
This suggests that handing over shirts is not a common practice in Spain, unlike in England, where it frequently occurs. A former player even raised questions about this practice.
On commentary Carlos Martinez criticised the defender for “facing the stands,” before asking, “What is Rudiger doing? Do you know what this is about?”
Presenter Isabel Forner then corrected him, to explain that he was simply going over to give a fan his shirt, clearly no signs from kids asking for the kit in Spain then.
Carlos Martínez echándole la bronca a Rüdiger por “encararse con la grada”, pero le estaba dando una camiseta a un aficionado: “¿Qué hace Rüdiger? ¿Sabe de qué va esto?” @IsabelForner le ha tenido que corregir y decirle que ha ido a dar la camiseta a un fan y le han increpado. pic.twitter.com/q44rnJz9ic
— 🦅⚡️🍿 (@Boetinho99) April 15, 2023
Regrettably, this is not the first instance where a Real Madrid player has been subjected to such vile abuse from opposing fans in recent months.
Earlier this season, Vinicius Junior was racially abused during a game with Atletico Madrid. Chants of “monkey” were directed at the Brazilian forward, and a racist doll dressed in a Real Madrid shirt was also held up by a fan.
Furthermore, this deplorable behavior continued at the beginning of the year, ahead of another match between the two Madrid teams.
A doll wearing a Vinicius shirt was hung from a bridge in Madrid, which is a clear and disgusting example of racism in football.