Spanish midfielder Pedri accused Germany’s star, Antonio Rudiger, of disrespecting opponents ahead of the high-voltage Euro 2024 clash between the two sides which is set to be played at the Stuttgart Arena on Friday.
Rudiger, who plays for Real Madrid, often uses distractions during matches as he has been often seen pinching his opponents’ nipples and while Pedri lauded the German defender, he also stated that such actions show a “lack of respect”.
“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,” Pedri told Marca.
Pedri also talked about his Barcelona teammate Ilkay Gundogan saying that he is one of the best midfielders in the world. The German midfielder made some comments last season when the Catalans had lost matches which wasn’t appreciated by fans and some teammates.
However, Pedri believed that it is important to talk about issues rather than staying silent.
“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,” the Spaniard added.
On the other hand, Rudiger also emphasised the importance of the clash between Germany and Spain saying that it will be between the two best teams in the tournament.
“It’s a big and important game, a classic, I’m just looking forward to it," Rudiger told Kicker. "For me, the two best teams in the tournament so far will face each other. I see a game on an equal footing. We have to be ready for the fight.
“We have to have the courage to go forward, because they are also vulnerable. They press high, you can get past that. But in order to do that, we have to have good possession of the ball and be calm in pressure situations. And we can’t make any mistakes.”
