Since he first set foot on one of the many pitches at the immaculate Real Madrid C.F. training facility, Turkish technician Arda Guler has attracted fulsome praise from all quarters. “Arda is a real talent,” said Toni Kroos following an early glimpse of the boy wonder. “He’s got a wand of a left foot and a great shot on him. He possesses outstanding technical ability.”
Former Madrid schemer Mesut Ozil, who shared a dressing room with Guler at Fenerbahçe in the twilight of his career, also saluted the hotshot. He reminds me a lot of myself,” he said. “We need to look after talents like him.”
Although it may have taken the fledgling ace a little time to hit the heights on the high-pressure stage offered by his current employers, his stock within Los Merengues’ star-studded squad appears to be rising.
Xabi Alonso opted against handing the 20-year-old a starting berth in the team’s opening FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ match against Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal, but the Basque tactician had no qualms about introducing him as he shuffled his pack at the break.
The Spanish side had struggled to get their passing game going in the opening 45 minutes, with Al Hilal enjoying a greater share of the possession, and Alonso turned to the Turkish international in the hope that he would be able to dictate proceedings.
No sooner had the starlet entered the fray than the team began to look better on the ball. He chalked up an impressive 52 touches, a tally that was bettered by just five of his team-mates, despite the fact he only came off the bench at the interval. Guler got his side playing between the lines and injected quality in the final third, conjuring up three key passes that could have resulted in goals
“There was a better balance to the team after the break,” said Alonso. “We were better in possession and pinned them back, but we just failed to find a second goal.”
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Guler shared the stage at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium with fellow pass master Luka Modric for the final 16 minutes of the game. However, that brief spell was more than enough for the them to showcase their considerable quality and on-field chemistry. Alonso tasked the duo with finding a way through Al Hilal’s well-drilled rearguard, and although they helped Madrid gain control and fashion opportunities, Los Blancos ultimately failed to convert their dominance into goals.
As announced last month, the evergreen Croat will call time on his trophy-laden 13 years with Madrid once the curtain comes down on the Club World Cup. In his quest to bow out in style by winning the competition, Modric could certainly do with Güler reproducing the sort of eye-catching performance that he delivered against the Saudi side.
Among the rich array of talents on Real Madrid’s books, the Ankara-born star is one of several candidates who could be tasked with filling the void left by Modric’s departure. Although he joined the club as an attacking player, in recent months Guler has established himself as an all-action midfielder who is as equally adept helping his team to play out from the back as he is at contributing further up the pitch. Incidentally, that switch in role mirrors the on-field transition that Modric made during his career: from a number 10 to a box-to-box midfielder. As he looks to fine-tune his trade, Guler would be hard pressed to find a better mentor.
