Arda Güler has earned continuity at Real Madrid, something that seemed completely impossible in the first part of the season, devastated by injuries. The 19-year-old player was injured in the preseason stage in the United States and was not able to make his debut until January 7 in the Copa del Rey, when he played 59 minutes against Arandina. But his League final has been spectacular. In the 372 minutes that he has played, divided into ten games, he has scored six times, that is, he has scored every 62 minutes. Six goals scored with only seven shots on goal.
Despite his youth, on February 25 he will turn 20 years old, this is already the third season as a professional for Güler, a young promise of Turkish football followed by FC Barcelona. Güler made his professional debut for Fenerbahce in the 2021/22 season, in which he played 16 games and scored three goals. But it was the next one that opened the doors of elite football for him. He played 35 games, scored six goals and gave another six assists.
Madrid made his signing public on July 6, a recommendation from its head of Scouting, Juni Calafat. He paid 30 million to Fenerbahce for the young Turk and gave him a contract for six seasons. The first few times were difficult for Güler, who immediately showed quality but whose physicality did not support him for a pace as demanding as that of a Madrid player, with games every three days.
Ancelotti was never in a hurry with Arda Güler who could not have started with worse luck. In his first four months in white he had three injuries, the most serious when he damaged his meniscus, he had to undergo surgery and was out of training for 59 days. He then suffered a muscle injury.
Starting in January, Güler gradually entered the squad, although he never won a place in the starting eleven. The feeling is that his destiny was to accept a loan for the next season, something that the Turk did not see well. When Ancelotti began to use the second unit of the squad, Güler revealed himself as a safe value, a good replacement for Rodrygo Goes. The usual formation of the B unit was Brahim on one wing, Güler on the other and Joselu in the center.
The problem for Ancelotti next season is the number of good players for a system that allows at most three forwards. Given that Mbappé and Vinícius seem untouchable, there would only be one place left to compete between Rodrygo, Endrick, Brahim, Güler and Joselu. That’s not counting Bellingham, who has finished as a false nine on many occasions this season. Endrick would be the one of all of them who could accept a loan although the Brazilian has already said that he is coming to stay. Ancelotti has confirmed that Güler is staying. He sees him as one of the greatest talents on the squad.
