Arda Güler once again delivered a top performance against Hungary. Not only Dominik Szoboszlai knows that things are not going well for the Turk at Real Madrid.
The Nations League play-off between Hungary and Turkey was not particularly exciting. The results were too clear: after a 3-1 home win, the Turks also won 3-0 in Budapest.
And since there was not much to analyze in terms of the sporting performance, the focus quickly turned to the feud between Dominik Szoboszlai and Arda Güler.
Arda Güler once again showed his class against Hungary. However, it is not only Dominik Szoboszlai who knows that things are not going well for the Turk at Real Madrid.
The two had already clashed in March 2024 in a friendly between their respective countries, but Güler’s suspension meant that the next round was delayed until the second leg. After a hard foul by the Liverpool player on the Turk, Güler put his finger to his lips to tell Szoboszlai to shut up, which the latter responded to with a smirk. The trouble continued even after the final whistle. A photo of the scene on social media was commented on by the Liverpool player with the comment “1088? – it’s the total number of minutes Güler has played for Real Madrid this season. Later, the Hungarian also posted a picture of a fictitious heat map of his rather best enemy at Real, on which only a warm spot can be seen – on the substitutes’ bench.
Güler, who, as so often, impressed in the national team jersey on Sunday and scored the 2-0 goal, among others, also shot a poison arrow back via social media. “The guy is a joke! Aren’t six goals enough for him to finally leave me alone?” wrote the attacking midfielder, who has been promoted to the A-League with Turkey.
Szoboszlai did, however, speak some home truths, albeit in an immature and less than sovereign manner: Güler is hardly getting any game time at Real anymore.
Especially not in the important games. Güler spent all four knockout games in the Champions League against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid completely on the bench. There are many reasons for this. It is well known that Carlo Ancelotti prefers to give the more experienced player the advantage when in doubt. In addition, Güler has plenty of big-name competition at the club, but coach Vincenzo Montella tailors the game to him. In Madrid, he usually has to attack down the right side, while for the Turks he played in Hungary on the ten and generally has much more freedom.
Güler is buying a house in Madrid
The big question is whether he will ever get it in Madrid. Even before the international matches, the Turkish and Spanish media were saying that Güler wanted to leave Real as early as the summer, with Real Sociedad and Inter Milan even being mentioned as possible destinations for a loan. But the 20-year-old apparently wants nothing to do with that. “Madrid has given me a plan and I still believe in it,” he said in an interview with Marca. “I’m sure I’ll succeed here, I even bought a house in Madrid. I work very hard and I’m always ready to play, as you could see in this game against Hungary.”
So no farewell in the summer after all? Güler, who is very popular with the Real Madrid fans due to his elegant style of play and humble character, obviously doesn’t want to throw in the towel. “I came to Real Madrid to play and to be an important part of this team,” emphasized the left-footed player. “And I won’t stop fighting until I’ve achieved that.”
