Barcelona’s Pedri accuses Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger of ‘a lack of respect’

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has admitted he is not a fan of Antonio Rudiger’s distraction techniques as a defender. The two have faced off several times this season for Barcelona and Real Madrid, and will again go head-to-head in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals for Spain and Germany.

He had only kind words for teammate Ilkay Gundogan, who was responsible for two instances of inflammatory comments in public about Barcelona’s performances, first accusing the dressing room of having the wrong attitude, and then later highlighting ‘unacceptable mistakes’ in the Champions League.

"Things are magnified on the outside. They want to destroy you in any way. 'Gundo' is a spectacular and very sincere player. It is better to talk about things and not keep silent. When you lose you don't have to be laughing and partying. When we lose we are pissed off and I try to look for solutions," he told RadioMarca.

There has been plenty of incendiary comments in the lead up to Spain-Geramny. Jens Lehmann called Spain juvenile, while Vicente del Bosque has declared La Roja clear favourites. Spain striker Joselu Mato said he wanted to retire Toni Kroos, and Pedri has revealed that while he respects Rudiger’s level, he does not like the Real Madrid's approach.

"He is a powerful and very good central defender, but you are not afraid of him. The pinching thing seemed like a lack of respect to me because it hurts and it's annoying.”

It's a tactic that appears to be successful, and for most, the end will justify the means. As much as a talent for putting off opposition forwards, Rudiger appears to have mastered the art of not being punished by referees for said irritations.