Arda Guler is a Turkish prodigy who attracted the eyes of the media with his touch and tease as an attacking midfielder.
Player bio
- DOB- 25 February 2005
- Place of birth- Atindag, Ankara, Turkey
- Height- 1.75m
- Position(s)- Attacking midfielder, winger
- Current Team- Real Madrid
Early life
Guler spent most of his youth career at Ankara-based club Genclebirligi until 2014 before joining Fenerbahçe youth ranks in 2019.
Fenerbahçe
The next stop for the teenager was the Turkish heavyweight club Fenerbahçe where he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract on January 2021 for his wonder kid status and a prospect for the future.
2021-22 season
Guler’s first experience in Sukru Saracoglu sports complex was as a substitute against Finnish club HJK in the UEFA Europa League play-offs. Three days later, he debuted in the Super Lig and even provided an assist to set up the insurance goal in a 2-0 victory over Antalyaspor.
As the playing time slowly progressed he became the Fenerbahçe ’s youngest goalscorer in Super Lig history at just 17 years of age. By May 2022, he registered 3 goals and 3 assists in just 255 minutes of playing time. This impressive debut season spread the word to European clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, and Paris Saint- Germain who showed interest in signing him. However, on March 2022 Fenebahce announced signing a three-year contract with him.
2022-23 season
The departure of Ozil at the start of the season gave Guler the opportunity to wear the prestigious number 19 which has a separate fan fare being the number of club legends like Alex de Souza and Jay-Jay Okcha. The season started with two goals for the youngster in the opening game after just 21 minutes. Later, he also grabbed his first in the Europa League against Dynamo Kyiv, winning
2-0. A man-of-the-match performance was at bay in a 2-0 victory versus Istanbul Basaksehir in the Turkish Cup final. Guler announced his departure on Instagram ending his tenure with the club.
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Real Madrid
La Liga club Real Madrid announced the signing of Arda Güler on July 2023 for a six-year contract, until 2029. The deal was achieved by paying his release clause with an initial payment of €20 million while a request by Güler was also fulfilled by Real Madrid, paying his release clause to provide additional funds for his former club.
Multiple injuries delayed Güler’s debut for Real Madrid but he finally made a presence in the Copa del Rey match against Arandina in January 2024. In a weeks time, he won his first trophy with Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España final, where Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 4–1. Güler made his La Liga debut against Las Palmas . Güler scored his first league goal in March dribbling past Celta goalkeeper Vicente Guaita in stoppage time, securing a 4–0. In the month of April, came his first La Liga start with a goal, giving his team a 1–0 win against Real Sociedad at Reale Arena. He became the fastest Real Madrid player to score six La Liga goals after scoring a brace in a 4–4 draw against Villarreal, in just 330 minutes of playing time. Although he did not have many games in his kitty, he eventually became the first Turkish player to secure the UEFA Champions League trophy.
| Club | Season | Apps | Goals |
| Fenerbahçe | 2021-22 | 16 | 3 |
| 2022-23 | 35 | 6 | |
| Real Madrid | 2023-24 | 12 | 6 |
| Total | 63 | 15 | |
International Career
Having played up to the Turkey U21s, Guler made his senior international debut on November 2022, in their 2–1 friendly win against the Czech Republic, and later scored his first goal against Wales in Euro 2024 qualifiers on June 2023.
UEFA Euro 2024
Turkey’s 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2024 included the wonder kid and on the opening game, Güler was awarded Player of the Match after scoring in Turkey’s 3–1 opening fixture win over Georgia, becoming the first teenager to score on his European Championship debut since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004. This goal, also made him the fifth-youngest goalscorer in the tournament’s history breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s previous record.
| Country | Season | Apps | Goals |
| Turkey | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 9 | 2 | |
Net worth
As per reports Arda Güler currently earns €100,000 gross per week and earns €5,200,000 gross per year.
Honours
Fenerbahçe
- Turkish Cup: 2022–23
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2023–24
- Supercopa de España: 2024
- UEFA Champions League: 2023–24 ‘
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