New Footage has Emerged of Antonio Rudiger Appearing to Pinch Jack Grealish During Man City Thriller
- 20 days ago
New footage has emerged of Antonio Rudiger appearing to pinch Jack Grealish during the pair's feisty encounter when Manchester City met Real Madrid on Tuesday evening.
There was little to separate the two sides as the hosts were held to a 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu in an instant classic.
Bernardo Silva opened the scoring for the visitors after just two minutes, before an own goal from Ruben Dias and Rodrygo's strike pulled Madrid back in front.
Pep Guardiola's side swiped back the lead via Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol in the second half, but Federico Valverde's 79th-minute volley restored parity and set up a second-leg decider at the Etihad next Wednesday.
But one aspect of the tie Man City midfielder Jack Grealish is likely not looking forward to is another encounter with Real Madrid's mischievous defender Rudiger.
The former Chelsea man had no qualms about using every tactic in his arsenal to unsettle his opponent - and in one clip appeared to pinch Grealish on the chest.
In the footage, the Treble-winner is seen wincing before backing off with a grin on his face.
Rudiger previously used a similar tactic on his former Chelsea team-mate Alvaro Morata when the pair met in their Madrid derby in January.
The Atletico Madrid player was instantly furious when Rudiger craftily appeared to pinch his nipple and laugh at his surprise.
Man City players will have known what to expect from the German international, however, after he confirmed his mastery of the dark arts during their sides' last Champions League meeting.
In a video captured from the stands during their semi-final first-leg meeting in the Spanish capital, Rudiger was seen sticking to his man - goalscoring behemoth Erling Haaland - and making it almost impossible for the Man City striker to get away.
Rudiger appeared to visibly annoy his Norwegian counterpart, with Haaland caught trying with all his might to swat his opponent away.
At the time, Rio Ferdinand praised the defender for his confidence in grappling with the record-breaking forward, pointing out his rare physicality-at-all-costs approach.
'If you were going to ask any player to come in in European football at the moment, I probably would have said for aggression, application, the way he enjoys that physical element of the game,' Ferdinand said on BT Sports (now TNT).
'That's what we've been saying about Haaland in the Premier League, who's been willing to take him and have a one-versus-one battle and be confident the way Rudiger was today?
'He was excellent and clever as well at times. He made one great block in the second half. I think you've got to be aggressive with Haaland.
'I still don't think they nullified him completely but I thought today that's the best I've seen a centre-back pairing play him.'
When asked about their tussle in Madrid ahead of Tuesday night's fixture, Rudiger claimed that he hadn't prepared to irritate.
'There were a lot of photos and videos but I don't plan things,' he st
There was little to separate the two sides as the hosts were held to a 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu in an instant classic.
Bernardo Silva opened the scoring for the visitors after just two minutes, before an own goal from Ruben Dias and Rodrygo's strike pulled Madrid back in front.
Pep Guardiola's side swiped back the lead via Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol in the second half, but Federico Valverde's 79th-minute volley restored parity and set up a second-leg decider at the Etihad next Wednesday.
But one aspect of the tie Man City midfielder Jack Grealish is likely not looking forward to is another encounter with Real Madrid's mischievous defender Rudiger.
The former Chelsea man had no qualms about using every tactic in his arsenal to unsettle his opponent - and in one clip appeared to pinch Grealish on the chest.
In the footage, the Treble-winner is seen wincing before backing off with a grin on his face.
Rudiger previously used a similar tactic on his former Chelsea team-mate Alvaro Morata when the pair met in their Madrid derby in January.
The Atletico Madrid player was instantly furious when Rudiger craftily appeared to pinch his nipple and laugh at his surprise.
Man City players will have known what to expect from the German international, however, after he confirmed his mastery of the dark arts during their sides' last Champions League meeting.
In a video captured from the stands during their semi-final first-leg meeting in the Spanish capital, Rudiger was seen sticking to his man - goalscoring behemoth Erling Haaland - and making it almost impossible for the Man City striker to get away.
Rudiger appeared to visibly annoy his Norwegian counterpart, with Haaland caught trying with all his might to swat his opponent away.
At the time, Rio Ferdinand praised the defender for his confidence in grappling with the record-breaking forward, pointing out his rare physicality-at-all-costs approach.
'If you were going to ask any player to come in in European football at the moment, I probably would have said for aggression, application, the way he enjoys that physical element of the game,' Ferdinand said on BT Sports (now TNT).
'That's what we've been saying about Haaland in the Premier League, who's been willing to take him and have a one-versus-one battle and be confident the way Rudiger was today?
'He was excellent and clever as well at times. He made one great block in the second half. I think you've got to be aggressive with Haaland.
'I still don't think they nullified him completely but I thought today that's the best I've seen a centre-back pairing play him.'
When asked about their tussle in Madrid ahead of Tuesday night's fixture, Rudiger claimed that he hadn't prepared to irritate.
'There were a lot of photos and videos but I don't plan things,' he st