We’ve all witnessed his jaw-dropping dribbles on YouTube, a player with a unique aura emanating from his ball-handling skills. He is none other than Arda Güler.
Goal 90 is excited to briefly share an account of Arda Güler’s untold stories and biography. Below this, you’ll find some intriguing facts about him, his style of play, the ethnic group he belongs to, the religion he follows, his marital status, relationship rumors, and more. Let’s begin by dissecting who he is.
Who is Arda Güler?
Known for his picturesque ball maneuvering, Arda Güler is a professional football player who plays as an Attacking Midfielder for the Spanish Giants, Real Madrid. He can also be deployed on the Right Wing or utilized as a pivoted Central Midfielder.
On the international scene, he represents the Turkish national team and has featured for them at both junior and senior levels. He scored his first goal for Turkey against Wales in a Euro 2024 qualifying game, in which his side came out on top with a 2-0 victory. Additionally, he also holds the record of being one of the youngest players to earn a cap for the men’s senior national team.
Family and Ethnicity
His parents are Umit and Serap Güler. There is limited information available about his siblings. His family is said to be of Turkic origins, with the surname ‘Güler’ hinting at a Turkish ancestry.
Turkey is a country of great ethnic diversity, with Kurds, Syrians, Albanians, Georgians, Arabs, and more living under a single constitution. However, it is important to note that the State recognizes all of these ethnicities as Turks.
Marital Status
He is currently unmarried and has not given any hints about his love life, as he chooses to focus on his development as a football player and honing his gameplay. However, he was spotted having lunch with a girl named ‘Zeynep Saka,’ and there were rumors circulating about them being in a relationship, while others were of the opinion that they were just cousins hanging out.
Lifestyle
Arda gives priority to training and discipline to ensure he is up to date with the evolving demands of the game. However, this hasn’t prevented him from developing a fondness for sports cars.
In an interview, he expressed this interest, and with further ascension to stardom, his dream wouldn’t be too far-fetched.
Religion
Arda Güler is a Muslim, although he has not made any public displays of his devotion to his faith.
Education
There isn’t much documentation about his schooling, but it is known that he attended one of the local schools in Altindag.
Early Life
Born in 2005, on the 25th of February, Arda lived through relatively comfortable days as a child, thanks to the love and care devoted to his upbringing. Belonging to Altindag, a northern district in the capital city of Ankara, he was able to mingle with different ethnic groups, and so his circle of friends was as diverse as his skills with the ball. Arda was known to be an outgoing, innocent, and well-behaved child. He spent much of his time playing football in the local parks or socializing with his friends and community.
Twist of Fate
Amidst the second year of his primary school, his Physical Education teacher noticed his talent. He undertook the task of persuading his parents to enroll him in one of the local academies, and in the end, it was Gençlerbirliği. One concern raised was the indefinite hiatus of his academics, which was shortly disposed of as the youth development program provided formal education along with football training.
Henceforth, we can safely say that Arda’s fate of ascension to stardom can be credited to his P.E. teacher. Details about his name and other credentials are not known.
Climbing the Ladder
His love for football was fostered by his father, a sports enthusiast who made sure his son fully lived up to his potential despite their modest income. His talent was noticed by those around him, and he was quickly enrolled in Gençlerbirliği’s youth program on the insistence of his Physical Education teacher in primary school, as mentioned earlier.
He shortly gained the attention of the elites of Turkish football heritage, Fenerbahce SK, who bought him in 2019 and sent him to their youth ranks. Too good for the competition there, he made his debut for Fenerbahce in 2021 at the age of just 16. He featured in the Super Lig as well as the Europa League in his first season.
Breaking Out
The 2022/23 season was a resounding success for young Arda as he was able to flaunt his talent with a resounding thud and quickly amassed a huge fan base. He was so impressive that he was immediately given the number 10 jersey that was worn by one of his idols, Mesut Ozil, prior to announcing his retirement from football. Towards the culmination of the season, he was linked to big clubs in Europe after an impressive season.
However, it was Real Madrid who secured his signature. He has since been the talk of the town and is widely considered by some as ‘Messi’s regen.’ His current market value stands at €30 million at just eighteen years of age.
In a recent interview, Mesut Ozil was asked: “Is there a better number 10 than you [in Turkey]?”
To which he responded: “Difficult question. A name occurs to me. I have a brother I believe in; he will be a world star. I hope that God protects him from the evil eye; he is Arda Güler.”
Style of Play
Arda Güler has been compared to the likes of Lionel Messi owing to his dribbling and Mesut Ozil given his incisive vision and creativity. Though primarily known as a dribbler, he can also cut to his stronger left foot and aim for the top bins when deployed on the Right flank. He also looks up to Alex de Souza, a Fenerbahçe legend, and has admitted to trying to emulate him by incorporating elements of his gameplay.
Here’s a question that looms over everyone’s heads, given the pool of young talents in their possession, including the likes of Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde, and so on. What does he offer to the Spanish Royals? It is well known that Modric, although still showing signs of elegance, is far from his twilight years and is only going to get older. Arda Güler is the perfect successor to Modric’s role as a number 10 or the playmaker in the center.
Some Interesting Facts
- He is the third biggest sale of Fenerbahçe SK at just 18 years of age after his move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2023 for €20 million with additional add-ons.
- His net worth is reported to be $8 million as of 2022.
- He is the 31st highest-rated Turkish player in FIFA 23, and with the advent of EA FC24, it doesn’t seem he’s going to sit there for too long.
- He is one of Turkey’s youngest goal scorers at 18 years and 4 months.
