Germany stars Antonio Rudiger and Niclas Fullkrug are involved in a heated altercation in training just days before the start of Euro 2024 with Real Madrid defender repeatedly pulling the Borussia Dortmund striker down
- Rudiger and Fullkrug had been seen pushing each other during a collision during training
- Rudiger reportedly continued to try to take Fullkrug down during a training exercise
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German stars Antonio Rudiger and Niclas Fullkrug were reportedly involved in a ‘heated altercation’ during training just days before the hosts were due to kick off Euro 2024.
Rudiger had repeatedly brought down the attacker as the defender kept a close eye on him during a crossing exercise during training.
Fullkrug reportedly remained on the ground after a strong challenge and began swearing at Rudiger.
The attacker then got up and moved towards Rüdiger, with the two players pushing each other.
Assistant coach Sandro Wagner then had to intervene and calm the situation.
German stars Niclas Fullkrug (L) and Antonio Rudiger (R) had an argument during training
Rudiger reportedly dragged Fullkrug down several times during training, leading to the collision
Fullkrug reportedly had to be calmed down by a member of the German coaching staff
The players clashed during training just days before the hosts were due to kick off Euro 2024
Fullkrug had told Mads Buttgereit, a member of the coaching staff, to ‘just blow the whistle’.
Later, Rudiger was seen sarcastically applauding Fullkrug, who was calmed down by a member of the coaching staff.
The two faced off in the Champions League final earlier this month, with Rudiger’s Real Madrid beating Fullkrug’s Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley.
Fullkrug spoke highly of Rudiger earlier in the day, describing him and fellow centre-back Jonathan Tah as ‘simply world-class’ during a press conference.
As reported by the German Football Associationhe said: ‘We are very strong with them at the back.
‘They play with energy and power and are simply world class. They are very difficult to get past.
“It feels really good to have them both on the field.
The pair faced each other in the Champions League final as Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund
Fullkrug had previously praised Rudiger during a press conference, describing him as ‘world class’
The clash will be a concern for boss Julian Nagelsmann ahead of the start of Euro 2024
‘It’s great that we have so much depth in defence. It gives us a formidable backline.’
Host nation Germany will kick off the 2024 European Championship on Friday evening when they take on Scotland.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side will later face Hungary and Switzerland as they look to progress through the group stages.