ANTONIO RUDIGER’S NIGHTMARE: REAL MADRID STAR’S POOR FORM UNDER SCRUTINY AFTER CITY LOSS
Antonio Rudiger's shaky performance, including a penalty concession, led to Real Madrid's defeat by Man City. With his contract ending, fans demand a replacement.
With Xabi Alonso under pressure, Real Madrid needed a strong start, and they came out firing. Manchester City struggled to put passes together early on. The opening goal came in the 28th minute when Rodrygo surged into the box and fired a shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Despite being second-best for much of the first half, City levelled the score from a set piece eight minutes later. Courtois couldn't hold on to Josko Gvardiol's header from a corner, and Nico O'Reilly was there to tap it in. Minutes later, things got worse for Real Madrid when Antonio Rudiger fouled Erling Haaland in the box, and Haaland converted the penalty.
Rudiger Has a Night to Forget as Real Madrid Falls to Man City
Real Madrid looked good going forward, but their defence was shaky. Courtois had to make several saves to prevent the game from getting out of hand, raising questions about Rudiger's place in the starting lineup.
Known for his aggressive defending at Chelsea and Real Madrid, Rudiger has been one of the world's top defenders. Recently, since returning from injury, he's made several mistakes for both club and country in 2025/26.
He messed up on one of Slovakia's goals against Germany in September. Against Man City, the defender made a bad decision, resulting in a penalty.
Beyond that penalty, Rudiger didn't look like his usual, reliable self. Man City frequently attacked him when getting into the box, and Courtois's good goalkeeping saved him from giving up more goals.
By the end of the game, he had only won one of his four ground duels and one of his four aerial duels. The centre-back lost possession six times and was lucky to avoid a second yellow card after a clumsy foul on Savinho.
Injuries to Dean Huijsen, Eder Militao, and David Alaba mean Madrid doesn't have much choice but to play him right now. But at 32, with Rudiger in the last year of his contract, the club should think about letting him leave on a free transfer next summer and bringing in a better player.
Having caused one of City's goals and looking vulnerable all game, Rudiger has been criticised by Real Madrid fans, many of whom think he needs to be replaced. One fan, reacting to the penalty, wrote, "Madrid's defence is a mess." Rudiger's poor form continues, and he gives away a terrible penalty that Haaland scores.
Another fan commented on the penalty incident: That's a penalty on Haaland. Rudiger made a bad mistake. A third fan criticised several players in Alonso's team, but called the centre-back horrendous first.
Rudiger is horrendous, Valverde is getting schooled by Doku, and the defending is horrendous. Courtois has to hold the ball before O'Reilly scores, and he's completely open in the box—too much space.
Another supporter urged the club to upgrade the position in the next transfer window: Rudiger needs to leave this team next summer. We need a better, fully fit CB.
ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION
Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.
Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.
Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.
From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.
That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.
By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.
They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.
Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.
It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.
Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.
PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.
Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.
JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL
Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.
Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.
Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”
On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”
Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”
At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a
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