Ewald Lienen has been highly critical of Vinicius Junior following the spectacular Champions League quarter-final between FC Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. He also sharply criticized Antonio Rüdiger and even called for consequences regarding the upcoming World Cup.
In his podcast ‘Der Sechzehner’ (The Sixteenth), the coaching legend launched a broadside against the two polarizing star players of Los Blancos.
«I’ve noted down here what annoyed me about Real Madrid: theatrics, dives, Vinicius Junior,» Lienen began, emphasizing, «For me, it’s becoming unbearable to watch the man. As good as he is at playing football, Vinicius Junior, in my opinion, has lost his mind.»
The second leg of the Champions League quarter-final in Munich, which Madrid lost 3-4, was rife with side skirmishes. Vinicius, aside from his footballing qualities, was once again in the spotlight. After losing the ball to Dayot Upamecano at 3-2 and ignoring the onrushing Jude Bellingham, the English international confronted his teammate on the pitch.
As captured by cameras from the Spanish broadcaster Movistar, the Brazilian reacted dismissively to Bellingham’s reprimand. «What do you want, what do you want? Shut up!» he is reported to have said. It’s quite possible that this specific incident significantly influenced Lienen’s judgment.
Skirmishes with Stanisic and Davies: Lienen Would Not Take Rüdiger to the World Cup
But that wasn’t all. The former coach of clubs including 1860 Munich, Cologne, Gladbach, Hannover, Bielefeld, Rostock, and St. Pauli also took aim at half of Madrid’s star-studded ensemble. «Then there are five or six face-hits that Arda Güler, Brahim Diaz, and Eder Militao apparently endured in some running duel,» he said, drawing a parallel to Rüdiger, who repeatedly intervened. «It’s disrespectful how he runs around the pitch!»
Rüdiger himself had a skirmish on the field. Immediately before Kylian Mbappé’s goal to make it 3-2, the national player brought down Bayern’s Josip Stanišić with a clearly foulable challenge and then leaned over the Croatian defender amidst his team’s celebrations of the renewed lead. Afterwards, the 26-year-old hinted at an insult from Rüdiger. «In my opinion, something like that is unacceptable. Only one word was spoken – and twice. But you can ask him yourself what he said. Maybe he’s man enough to admit it.»
For this reason too, Lienen concludes that national coach Julian Nagelsmann should not take the centre-back to the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. «This scene expressed such a level of disrespect that fueled my core belief of not putting this man in a position to undertake this transatlantic journey. It’s dangerous over there,» the 72-year-old fumed.
Rüdiger also clashed with Alphonso Davies. When the Canadian was substituted on for the yellow-carded Stanišić at halftime and was waiting for the referee’s permission on the sidelines, Rüdiger lightly struck him with his left hand and nudged him, forcing Davies to sidestep.
Rüdiger on Probation in the DFB Team — World Cup Nomination Still Likely
This was by no means the first time the 33-year-old had attracted negative attention in the recent past. He has been under special observation since the 2025 Copa final between Real and FC Barcelona. After Rüdiger heavily insulted the referee and threw a roll of tape in his direction, he received a six-match ban.
Voices in Germany were raised that Nagelsmann should therefore do without him, but the coach continued to call up the defensive player, imposing a kind of probation. «The limit has been reached. He shouldn’t allow himself any more, otherwise there will be bigger consequences,» he said at the time.
While Rüdiger no longer has a guaranteed starting spot in the DFB team, his nomination is still considered very likely. He serves as the primary alternative to Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah.