All you wanted to know about Arda Guler

BIOGRAPHY

Arda Güler is a creative midfielder for the Turkey national team and Real Madrid. In July 2023, he signed a six-year contract with the club until June 2029: Madrid activated his release clause (initial payment — €20 million, above the previously stated €17.5 million), and Güler himself asked Real Madrid to pay more than the clause amount in order to financially support Fenerbahçe.

Güler began playing football in Ankara — at the Gençlerbirliği academy (since 2014). In February 2019, when Arda was 13, he was noticed by Fenerbahçe and invited into the club’s system. He progressed through all key youth levels (U-15, U-16, U-19), scoring 7 goals and providing 4 assists in 18 matches for the U-19 team, standing out particularly in the playoffs (3 goals and 1 assist in the quarterfinal).

Güler signed his first professional contract with the club on January 13, 2021 (for 2.5 years), and in the 2021/22 season he made his debut for the first team:

• August 19, 2021 — first senior-level match (Europa League playoff against HJK, 1:0 win).
• Three days later, in his Super Lig debut, he provided an assist for the winning goal against Antalyaspor.
• In March 2022, he became the youngest goalscorer in Fenerbahçe’s Super Lig history (shortly after turning 17).
• By May 2022, he had recorded 3 goals and 3 assists in just 255 minutes of play.

In spring 2022, the club extended his contract for three more seasons.

In the 2022/23 season, following the departure of Mesut Özil, Güler received the iconic number 10 shirt at Fenerbahçe. He started the league brightly (two goals in 21 minutes against Kasımpaşa), and on November 3, 2022, he recorded his first European competition contribution (goal + assist) in a Europa League victory against Dynamo Kyiv. In the 2023 Turkish Cup final, he performed at a leader’s level and was recognized as one of the best players of the match. On July 6, 2023, Güler announced his departure from Fenerbahçe.

His first period in Spain was complicated by injuries, so his official debut for Real Madrid took place on January 6, 2024 — in the Copa del Rey against Arandina (3:1).

In the 2024/25 season, he made his Champions League debut on September 17, 2024 (against Stuttgart), scored his first goal of the season on December 7 away at Girona, and in the spring earned a rare run of starts: on April 23, 2025, he scored the winning goal against Getafe, and on May 4 he delivered a goal and an assist against Celta.

With the arrival of Xabi Alonso, Güler featured more frequently in the starting lineup in the 2025/26 season, including in a more central midfield role. On August 30, 2025, he scored his first goal of the season against Mallorca and was recognized as one of the best players of the match. At the end of September, Arda was named La Liga U-23 Player of the Month, recording 2 goals and 2 assists during the month.

Güler progressed through Turkey’s youth national teams up to U-21 and made his senior team debut on November 19, 2022, in a friendly victory over the Czech Republic (2:1). He scored his first national team goal on June 19, 2023, in a Euro 2024 qualifying match against Wales.

At Euro 2024, he was included in the 26-man squad and made a strong impression:

• June 18, 2024 — scored in the opening match against Georgia (3:1) and received the Player of the Match award;
• In the playoffs (July 3), he provided an assist in a 2:1 victory over Austria, becoming one of the few teenagers in tournament history to both score and assist in the same European Championship.

PERSONAL LIFE

Off the pitch, Arda Güler strives to maintain a calm and grounded outlook — those around him note that his rapid rise in popularity has not detached him from his roots and family values. This helps him maintain balance between public attention and the demands of elite football.

In his free time, Güler turns to activities that provide mental relief. Since childhood, he has been passionate about chess and believes the game develops strategic thinking and patience. He is also fond of Turkish literature — among his favorite authors is Orhan Pamuk. Already in Madrid, Arda has developed an interest in architecture: he enjoys visiting the city’s historic sites and appreciates the blend of classical and modern design.

Despite his age, Güler is involved in charitable initiatives — primarily focused on education and supporting children from less privileged families in his hometown of Ankara. After moving to Real Madrid, he helped launch projects related to sports equipment and educational support for schools in less developed regions of Turkey. During the 2023 earthquake, he was among the first to offer assistance — both financially and through public appeals. In Spain, Arda also participates in Real Madrid’s social programs, especially initiatives where football helps unite and support youth in Madrid’s multicultural environment.

INTERESTING FACTS

• Originally from Ankara — the capital of Turkey. Güler began developing his football skills there, and later in Istanbul after joining the Fenerbahçe system.
• The youngest goalscorer for the Turkey national team in an official match. His first goal in Euro 2024 qualifying made Arda the youngest player to score for Turkey in a competitive (official) fixture.
• Heir to the number 10 shirt after Mesut Özil. After Özil left Fenerbahçe, Arda inherited the iconic number 10 — a cult number at the club (previously worn, for example, by Alex de Souza). For a young player, this was not only recognition but also pressure, which, according to reviews, he handled with remarkable maturity.
• His father deliberately trained his left foot. According to family stories, Arda’s father, Ümit, would intentionally place balls and even balloons near his left foot in childhood so that his son would shoot more often with it and reinforce the habit.
• As a ball boy — he “predicted” a penalty save. At the Gençlerbirliği academy, Arda worked as a ball boy during first-team matches. In one game, he shouted to the goalkeeper where he felt the penalty would be shot — the keeper dove the right way and saved it.