Rudiger 'must show respect to others' says Germany boss Voeller

Munich, Germany: Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger has to change and he knows it himself , Rudi Voeller, the German national team s sporting direc...

Munich, Germany: Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger "has to change and he knows it himself", Rudi Voeller, the German national team's sporting director said Monday, following the player's behaviour in the Spanish Cup final.

"Toni is an exceptional footballer and a very emotional guy, a fighter on the pitch. He has to stay that way. But in this case, he and some of his team-mates, let themselves be influenced too much by the extremely tense atmosphere around the club," Voeller told German news agency SID, a subsidiary of AFP.

The centre-back, substituted in extra-time and in the final stages of Barcelona's 3-2 Clasico victory, threw something at referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in the final seconds.

Rudiger had to be held back from confronting the official by team-mates and staff, was shown a red card, with fellow Real Madrid players Lucas Vazquez and Jude Bellingham also dismissed at the end of the game.

Before the final, Bengoetxea and VAR referee Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes complained about attacks from Real Madrid's club television channel on officials this season.