Arda Güler
Turkish footballer (born 2005) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arda Güler (Turkish pronunciation: [aɾˈda ˈɟylæɾ] ⓘ; born 25 February 2005) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Turkey national team. He is regarded as one of the best young players in the world.[4][5][6][7]
.jpg) Güler with Fenerbahçe in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arda Güler[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 February 2005[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Ankara, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder[3] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Real Madrid | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2019 | Gençlerbirliği | ||
| 2019–2021 | Fenerbahçe | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | Fenerbahçe | 32 | (7) |
| 2023– | Real Madrid | 64 | (12) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021–2022 | Turkey U17 | 10 | (4) |
| 2022– | Turkey | 26 | (6) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:24, 3 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:57, 15 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Güler began his senior career with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe in 2021, where he won the Turkish Cup in 2023. In 2023, Güler signed with Real Madrid. In his inaugural season with the Spanish giants, he won the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.
At the international level, Güler made his senior debut for Turkey in 2022. He was a member of the squad for UEFA Euro 2024 and played a key role in the team's run to the quarter-finals.[8][9]
Club career
Early career
Güler started his youth career at Ankara-based club Gençlerbirliği, in 2014.[10] Arda Güler was discovered by Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe on 20 February 2019, when he was only 13 years old, and was included in the youth squad. Güler, who has played in all of the Fenerbahçe youth teams including U-15, U-16 and U-19, first started playing for the Fenerbahçe U-15 team in the 2018-19 season, and was taken to the U-16 team in 2020 and the U19 team in 2021. He contributed 7 goals and 4 assists in 18 matches for the Fenerbahçe U-19 team. He made 3 goals and 1 assist in the U-19 Play-Off quarterfinal match, and thus attracted attention as the top scorer in that season's Play-Off.
In July 2021, Güler began waiting for his place in the Fenerbahçe’s first team.[11][10]
Fenerbahçe
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Güler signed a two-and-a-half-year-long professional contract with Fenerbahçe on 13 January 2021.[12] He was considered as a wonderkid and seen as a big prospect for the future.[13]
2021–22 season
Güler made his senior debut as a substitute player against Finnish club HJK in the play-off round encounter of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League. Held at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium on 19 August 2021, it ended 1–0 for Fenerbahçe.[14] In his first Süper Lig match three days later, he provided the assist that let Miha Zajc score a goal at the 89th minute of the 2–0 victory over Antalyaspor.[15] He started getting more playing time as the 2021–22 season progressed.
In March 2022, Güler became Fenerbahçe's youngest goalscorer in Süper Lig history, having just turned 17 three weeks earlier. By May 2022, Güler had scored 3 goals and delivered 3 assists in just 255 minutes of playing time. After an impressive start to his career, it was reported that big European clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain showed their interest in signing him.[16][17] On 17 March 2022, Fenerbahçe announced that they had signed a three-year contract with him.[18]
2022–23 season
At the start of 2022–23 season, after the departure of Mesut Özil, Güler was given the number 10, which has a special meaning for Fenerbahçe fans, being the number of former players Alex de Souza and Jay-Jay Okocha.[19] Güler played his first match of the season against Kasımpaşa and scored two goals in 21 minutes of play.[20]
On 3 November 2022, he scored his first goal in European competitions, and also provided an assist, in a 2–0 away win over Dynamo Kyiv in the Europa League group stage.[21] On 11 June 2023, Güler put in a man of the match performance in a 2–0 win at 2023 Turkish Cup final against İstanbul Başakşehir.[22] On 6 July, Güler took to Instagram to announce his departure from Fenerbahçe, marking the end of his tenure with the Turkish club.[23]
Real Madrid
On 6 July 2023, La Liga club Real Madrid announced the signing of Güler to a six-year contract lasting until June 2029.[24][25] The deal was sealed by triggering his release clause with an initial payment of €20 million, which surpassed the €17.5 million clause from his former contract with Fenerbahçe.[26][27] Güler requested Real Madrid to pay beyond his release clause to raise funds for his former club.[28]
2023–24 season
Following multiple injuries in late 2023, Güler debuted for Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey match against Arandina on 6 January 2024,[29] contributing to the team's 3–1 win.[30][31]
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On 14 January, Güler won his first trophy with Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España final, where Real Madrid triumphed over Barcelona with a score of 4–1.[32][33] He made his La Liga debut against Las Palmas on 27 January, coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute, replacing Rodrygo.[34][35] On 10 March, he scored his first league goal for Real Madrid, dribbling past Celta goalkeeper Vicente Guaita in the fourth minute of stoppage time, five minutes after being substituted on, to seal a 4–0 league victory over Celta Vigo.[36][37] On 26 April, Güler marked his first La Liga start with a goal in a 1–0 win against Real Sociedad at Reale Arena.[38][39] On 19 May, he scored a brace against Villarreal in a 4–4 draw, becoming the fastest player in Real Madrid's history to score six La Liga goals in just 330 minutes of playing time.[40][41] Although he did not play in the competition, he became the first Turkish player to win the UEFA Champions League when his club clinched their 15th title with a 2–0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the final.[42]
2024–25 season
Güler made his Champions League debut as a substitute in the opening match of the league phase, which ended in a 3–1 victory over Stuttgart on 17 September 2024.[43] Later that year, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 away win over Girona in La Liga on 7 December.[44] After being used mainly in Copa del Rey matches and seeing limited time in league games for most part of the season, Güler was given rare back-to-back league starts on 23 April 2025 when he scored the winner and was nominated player of the match in a 1–0 win over Getafe, and on 4 May when he registered a goal and an assist in a 3–2 victory over Celta Vigo.[45][46]
2025–26 season
Following Xabi Alonso’s appointment as Real Madrid head coach, Güler began featuring more regularly in the starting lineup, primarily in a midfield role. On 30 August 2025, he netted his first goal of the season in a 2–1 La Liga win over Mallorca, putting in a man-of-the-match performance.[47][48]
Throughout August and September, Güler began to play an increasingly important role in Real Madrid’s squad, earning consistent starts. His performances culminated in being named the LaLiga U23 Player of the Month for September, having scored two goals and provided two assists during that period.[49]
International career
Güler is a Turkish youth international, having played up to the Turkey U21s. He made his senior international debut for Turkey on 19 November 2022, in their 2–1 friendly win against Czech Republic. He scored his first goal against Wales in Euro 2024 qualifiers on 19 June 2023.[50]
UEFA Euro 2024
Güler was named in Turkey's 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2024.[51] On 18 June 2024, he was awarded Player of the Match, as he scored 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.[52] With his goal, he also became the fifth-youngest goalscorer in the tournament's history and the youngest debutant to find the net, aged 19 years and 114 days, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's previous record.[53][54]
On 3 July, Güler provided an assist as Turkey defeated Austria 2–1 in the round of 16 and progressed into the quarter-finals. In doing so, he became only the third teenager in history to score and assist in the same Euros, following Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.[55]
Style of play
Considered by various media outlets and commentators to be one of the best young footballers in the world,[4][5][6][7] Güler is a left-footed attacking midfielder who can also play as a winger, primarily on the right flank. He has been praised for his composure and ability to operate in tight spaces. A playmaker, Güler has also been noted for his impressive dribbling skill, vision, creativity, above-average passing skills, and technical ability from set-pieces.[56]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fenerbahçe | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | — | 16 | 3 | |
| 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 20 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 10[c] | 1 | — | 35 | 6 | ||
| Total | 32 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 1 | — | 51 | 9 | |||
| Real Madrid | 2023–24 | La Liga | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 12 | 6 |
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 28 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 7[e] | 0 | 8[f] | 1 | 49 | 6 | |
| 2025–26 | La Liga | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10[e] | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 40 | 3 | |
| Total | 64 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 101 | 15 | ||
| Career total | 96 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 31 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 152 | 24 | ||
- Includes Turkish Cup and Copa del Rey
- Two appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- One appearance in UEFA Champions League, nine appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
- Appearance in Supercopa de España
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in FIFA Intercontinental Cup, six appearances and one goal in FIFA Club World Cup
International
- As of match played 15 November 2025[59]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 3 | |
| Total | 26 | 6 | |
- Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Güler goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 June 2023 | Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium, Samsun, Turkey | 4 |  Wales | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 2 | 18 June 2024 | Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany | 8 |  Georgia | 2–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 |
| 3 | 14 October 2024 | Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | 16 |  Iceland | 3–2 | 4–2 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B |
| 4 | 23 March 2025 | Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary | 19 |  Hungary | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs |
| 5 | 7 June 2025 | Pratt & Whitney Stadium, East Hartford, United States | 20 |  United States | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 11 October 2025 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria | 24 |  Bulgaria | 1–0 | 6–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Fenerbahçe
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2023–24[60]
- Supercopa de España: 2024[61]
- UEFA Champions League: 2023–24[62]
- UEFA Super Cup: 2024[63]
- FIFA Intercontinental Cup: 2024[64]
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2024–25[65]
Individual
