Real Madrid starlet Arda Guler has had a mixed time of it since arriving in the Spanish capital, with his first season marred by injury, and his second season a constant source of debate over his minutes in the first team. Despite talk over a potential departure in the summer, his recent form in the side could see him start El Clasico this Sunday, with the Copa del Rey final a potential turning point in his career.
Guler has given an in-depth interview to The Player’s Tribune, detailing the trials and tribulations of his journey to this point, including almost losing his mother suddenly, and leaving home in Ankara at the age of 13 to join Fenerbahce. Hence seeing himself as something of a warrior.
A particularly significant point was Euro 2024, when Guler at the age of just 19 played a starring role for Turkiye.
“For our match against Portugal, I was a little nervous. I hoped that Ronaldo would talk to me after the game, because I respect him so much. Then on the day of the game, Marca printed this front page: GULER CHALLENGES CRISTIANO. Oh, no …..”
“The truth was, I was honoured to share the pitch with Cristiano. Have you seen The Last Dance? Cristiano is like Michael Jordan. A headline like that is fuel to him. Portugal won 3–0, and after the game he did not speak to anyone. A few days later I understood how he felt, because on the bus on our way to the stadium, I saw a video of a group of Austria fans.”
“They were saying, “Who the f*** is Arda Guler?” I was shocked. Why would anyone say this about me? But then I remembered when Mr. Jorge Jesus had left me out of the team for weeks at Fenerbahçe. One day he lined up two teams to practice free kicks, and I wasn’t in any of them. I was on my own taking corners. It was pouring down, and when I got home I cried so much. I promised myself that I would never have this feeling again.”
“People see me as a creative player, but I am also a warrior. You put me on the bench? I’ll work harder. You talk s*** about me? I’ll crush you.”
The fleet-footed 20-year-old has explained that he did his best to channel Michael Jordan for their clash against Austria. Turkiye would run out 2-1 winners, with Guler’s set-piece deliveries proving crucial.
“When I saw that Austria clip, I was the one going into Michael Jordan mode. They kept singing about me at the game. They threw beer cups at me. Perfect. When I assisted our second goal, I turned to the Austria fans. Thank you. I guess I took that personally.”
“When we lost in the round of 16, I wondered if people back home would turn on us, but they had seen how much we’d fought for our country. In Türkiye, character is everything. Rüdiger told me he had noticed my passion and anger. When Rüdiger says anger, he means it in a good way. I have always given my teammates instructions, even as a teenager at Fenerbahce. I can’t help it. If I stop, I’ll play badly. I want to be a leader, I want to take corners and free kicks, always.”
Carlo Ancelotti has been criticised for the lack of opportunities given to Guler over the course of the season, registering just three starts over the course of a couple of months in early 2025. The Italian has reasoned that Guler has developed over the course of the season, and it certainly seems he is earning more trust at Real Madrid despite initial doubts about his defensive work-rate.
