Real Madrid’s defender Rudiger, who follows the Islamic faith, shared a Ramadan greeting on Instagram featuring him kneeling on a prayer mat wearing traditional attire and pointing upwards with his index finger. His caption conveyed well-wishes for Ramadan.

Former Bild chief Julian Reichelt criticized the gesture, labeling it an “Islamists’ salute” and accusing Rudiger of displaying the “ISIS-greeting of Islamists” in a lengthy post on X.

Rudiger promptly distanced himself from these accusations, explaining that the gesture, known as tawhid fingering, symbolizes the unity of God in Islam. He emphasized his commitment to peace and tolerance, firmly rejecting extremism and terrorism.

Rudiger’s management filed a complaint against Reichelt for insult, slander, inflammatory insult, and sedition. Additionally, the German Football Association initiated legal action against Reichelt for online hate speech.

Reichelt, a former editor-in-chief of Bild, was dismissed in 2021 following an investigation into allegations of abuse of power and bullying.

Despite the controversy, Rudiger continued his international duties with Germany, participating in their friendly victories over France and the Netherlands. He will now return to Real Madrid to contribute to their pursuit of success in La Liga and the Champions League, starting with a match against Athletic Club on Sunday.

Antonio Rüdiger

This season he played in total 25 times for 2156 minutes for La Liga.

Antonio Rüdiger scored 1 goal for Real Madrid. He procured no assists. He received 6 yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 1st in La Liga. In the last match Real Madrid won 4-2 against Osasuna.

Real Madrid performance and stats

Real Madrid is currently 1st in the La Liga with 72 points.

In the last 29 games, it has won 22 times, drawn 6 times, and lost once. In its last match, Real Madrid won 2-4 against Osasuna.​​

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 64 goals and conceding 20.​