In two seasons, signing Arda Guler was once considered a mistake by Real Madrid. There was even information that from the beginning, the Royal team did not really want to recruit him.
Many people think that Guler only joined the Santiago Bernabeu because Barcelona was too determined in pursuing "Türkiye Meessi" from Fenerbahce. However, when looking back, that assessment was now completely wrong.
In the past few months, Guler has become an indispensable link under Xabi Alonso. Instead of creating Messi-rich moments, Guler took on a midfield role that had many similarities with his senior, and was also the teacher who guided him: Mesut Ozil.
The effectiveness is very clear. While Kylian Mbappe is still trying to improve his understanding with superstars like Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham, he has found a perfect partner in Guler. The Turkish player can make decisive passes and help Mbappe continue to do what he is best at, which is scoring.
Right from Alonso's first matches as Real Madrid coach at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, Guler has been given an important role. Former Bayer Leverkusen sent the Turkish player onto the field in the second half of the opening match against Al-Hilal, before continuing to use him in the starting lineup throughout the journey to the semi-finals.
That confidence is maintained in the 2025-2026 season. Guler has started 14/16 of Madrid's matches in all competitions, contributing 3 goals and six assists. If including Turkey's impressive performances in the World Cup qualifiers, he has been directly involved in 15 goals in just about 1,700 minutes of play.
In La Liga, Guler averaged 0.91 goals per 90 minutes - a figure that put him in the top 2% of the tournament. The 40 chances created on all fronts also helped Guler become the leader among the tournaments in the European "Big Five".
Alonso has also asked Guler to improve his defensive abilities and the numbers show that he is improving significantly. He has an average of 0.74 interceptions and 1.78 successful tackles per 90 minutes. These are not outstanding indicators, but it is very noteworthy for a player who plays in a system that always emphasizes control and pressing to get the ball back as quickly as possible.
However, the most important factor in Real Madrid's chances of success in the coming months is probably the connection between Guler and Mbappe. Although Mbappe and Vinicius are considered an attacking pair with terrible disruptive power, they rarely find a common voice in coordination, leading to many promising breaks.
In contrast, Guler and Mbappe have built a much closer relationship. All six of Guler's assists this season have been for Mbappe, and the Turkish midfielder admitted that they "know each other very well".
"I like the comparison between Cristiano Ronaldo - Mesut Ozil with Kylian Mbappe and me. They have achieved a lot, but great success always comes from the team, not just from two players" - the 20-year-old midfielder said.
Guler's passing ability has helped Mbappe maintain a much more stable scoring ability this season. The French star chose to combine with Madrid's "number 15" instead of often leaving his position to drift to his favorite left wing. It is this cohesion that has helped Alonso's team become significantly more balanced than under Carlo Ancelotti last season.
