After months of only seeing training footage and behind-the-scenes pictures, Real Madrid fans finally began to see glimpses of the enormously talented Arda Guler – the Turkey sensation who lit up Euro 2024 with some incredible performances and stunning goals.
“Let me give you my honest opinion: Arda Guler has been the greatest talent in Turkish football for 100 years. I’m 63, I’ve been watching football from the stands and on television for over 50 years, I’ve been a reporter for 45 years… And I’ve never seen such talent!”
That’s how Ajansspor journalist Atilla Turker described the Real Madrid gem in the columns of AS last February. The young Turkish playmaker’s early adventure at Real Madrid was certainly not what he had imagined. Plagued by various physical problems, the 19-year-old has only played limited minutes for Los Merengues in the 2023-24 season. But Guler has come to Spain to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Mesut Ozil.
Born on the 25th of February 2005 in Alindag, on the outskirts of the capital Ankara, Guler made his footballing debut in 2014 at the Genclerbirligi SK academy, a club that has produced the likes of Jimmy Durmaz, Florentin Pogba and Ahmed Hassan, the left-footed player who spent five seasons there before being spotted by Turkish giants Fenerbahce in 2019.
Fenerbahce’s Early Bloomer
Transferred for the sum of €2.5 million (around £2.1 million), Guler quickly won everyone over. In his first season with the U19s – in 2020-21 – he made 22 appearances and was decisive on 17 occasions (10 goals and seven assists). That was all it took to convince Vitor Pereira, then coach of Sari Kanaryalar, to give him his first professional minutes. On the 19th of August 2021, aged just 16, Guler was given his first taste of the big time, coming on as a substitute in a Europa League qualifier against HJK Helsinki.
Three days later, on his first appearance in the Super Lig, the jewel of the Bosphorus scored an assist to seal victory over Antalyaspor. Back with the U19s for a few matches, he scored his first career goal when Fenerbahce travelled to Alanyaspor on the 13rd of March 2022. It was a goal that will go down in the history books forever, as Guler became the youngest player ever to score for Fenerbahçe. In his first season in the senior side, Guler made 16 appearances, scoring three goals and providing five assists.
It was a more than encouraging record, especially given that he was sidelined for several weeks by injuries sustained in the first half of 2022. This setback prevented him from taking part in the European Under-17 Championship with the Turkish national team. The following season, this time spared from physical problems, Guler played one match after another and established himself as a regular in Jorge Jesus’ team.
In 35 games in all competitions, the play-maker scored six times while setting up another seven – far from ordinary figures for a player of his age. “When I play, I think I’m going to score,” he explains of his success. “I watched a lot of (Fenerbahce legend) Alex de Souza when I was little. I watched Mesut (Ozil) a lot. Now I watch Martin Odegaard and Kevin De Bruyne a lot.” His performances prompted national coach Stefan Kuntz to reward him with his first caps. And so, on the 19th of November 2022, Guler made his debut in a friendly against the Czech Republic. Exactly seven months later, in his fourth cap, the youngster scored his first international goal in the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Wales with a powerful strike.
Arda Guler’s Real Madrid Career
Courted by big names in European football such as Barcelona and AC Milan, Guler eventually opted to join Real Madrid, much to the dismay of Fener president Ali Koc. But a cheque for €17.5 million – around £15 million, the amount of his release clause – plus a 20% resale clause in favour of the Istanbul club later, the Iberian club announced in July that the young jewel had joined the Madrid team. Now with one of the biggest clubs on the planet, Guler was certainly hoping for a different scenario for the start of his adventure in Spain. Injured and unavailable throughout the first half of the season, he had to wait until the 6th of January 2024 before finally stepping on a pitch in the white of Real Madrid.
After starting in the 3rd round of the Copa del Rey, the Turkish talent has gone on to make several appearances for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. In March 2024, Guler scored his first Real Madrid goal to complete the victory over Celta de Vigo. Fast forward a couple of months, and the exciting star has really gone up a level with greater game-time being handed to him by the boss. In his last four games for the club, he has scored three times, including netting in a clash against Granada, the first time in which he had completed the full 90 minutes.
Arda Guler’s Style of Play
A very precocious player, Guler stands out for his ability to deal with complex situations in tight spaces. A fine play-maker, the Merengues’ new number 24 also boasts impressive vision, above-average passing skills (an average of 85% pass completion in the Super Lig during the 2022-23 season) and notable technical ability from set-pieces.
| Arda Guler’ 23/24 stats at Real Madrid | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| LaLiga | 4 | 1 | 0 | 26 |
| Copa del Rey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 59 |
| Supercopa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Total | 6 | 1 | 3 | 82 |
| (Stats correct as of 12/03/2024) | ||||
Nicknamed the ‘Turkish Messi’, Guler is also a player who – surprisingly given his profile – is not averse to increasing his efforts when he loses the ball, although he obviously prefers the ball to stick to his left foot. Both Madrid and Turkey will know that the key to getting the best out of him is ensuring he is playing in a system that gets him the ball as much as possible, and with runners ahead of him roaming into the channels and behind opposition defences for him to find with an inch-perfect pass and vision.
What Next for Arda Guler at Real Madrid
Guler’s future seems clearly linked to Real Madrid. Although he is not currently a first-team regular at the Santiago Bernabeu, there is no doubt that this will change as the months go by. And, if his performances when given game-time are anything to go by, then Carlo Ancelotti is clearly a fan of his.
Signed by the Iberian club for the long term (until June 2029), he will undoubtedly benefit from the experience of players such as Luka Modric to perfect his game and become the future of the legendary Madrid club. Given that the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo, among others, are still relatively young too, Ancelotti’s side have the framework of their next generation already set up and ready to go, even whilst delivering immediate success in the here and now.
That level of talent and quality has meant that there has been no real rush for Guler to be brought into the side, and instead, Ancelotti has been able to moderate his use and blood him in slowly. Given that the Turkish ace is now finally beginning to flourish after overcoming his injury problems, it seems like a job well done by Madrid’s Italian manager. Whether a loan move might be on the cards in the near future, like the club have recently done with another talented play-maker/winger in Brahim Diaz, remains to be seen.
What cannot be in question right now is Guler’s talent, and given the kind of unequivocal praise he has been receiving from all parts of the media and coaches, then it’s an easy assumption to suggest he is destined for the very top.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, FBref and Sofascore