Actual Madrid are the membership with essentially the most UEFA Champions League titles. Over the previous 70 years, they’ve lifted the trophy 15 occasions — greater than double the overall of their closest challenger, AC Milan (7). The latest of these titles got here in 2024, however one member of that squad has now made a shocking confession.
“I didn’t win it, it wasn’t mine,” admitted Arda Guler in a latest interview with L’Équipe. He was referring to his restricted position within the staff throughout that marketing campaign — his first with Actual Madrid after becoming a member of from Fenerbahce in Turkey.
Guler has comprehensible causes to really feel that means. That yr, he handled a number of accidents that made adapting to the Spanish aspect tough, to the purpose the place he didn’t play a single minute in that season’s Champions League. Nonetheless, he was on the bench for 8 of the staff’s 13 matches within the European marketing campaign.
Reasonably than feeling annoyed by that have, the Turkish midfielder is utilizing it as motivation for the longer term. “We now have to go get one other,” he mentioned. “That’s certainly one of my fundamental objectives. I need children in my nation to have the ability to say, ‘Arda did it, I can do it too.’”
Arda Guler of Actual Madrid.
Arda Guler’s numbers at Actual Madrid
Actual Madrid paid round $23 million in 2023 to beat out Barcelona and signal Guler. The left-footed midfielder’s clear expertise had caught the eye of each Spanish giants, however Los Blancos’ stronger monetary place and the participant’s personal choice helped seal the deal.
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After that first injury-plagued season, during which Arda performed simply 12 matches and scored 6 objectives, his position grew considerably the next yr. Nonetheless underneath head coach Carlo Ancelotti, he made 49 appearances and scored 6 objectives.
This season, underneath Xabi Alonso, Arda Guler’s numbers are even higher. He has featured in each Champions League matches and all eight La Liga video games to date, registering 3 objectives and 4 assists in complete.
The Champions League stays Guler’s greatest objective
Having lifted the trophy with out taking part in a single minute within the 2023–24 Champions League, Guler noticed extra motion the next season. He performed in seven matches, however the staff’s general efficiency was much less convincing, they usually had been eradicated within the quarterfinals with a heavy 1–5 defeat to Arsenal.
This yr, Actual Madrid have one other alternative to showcase their power on the European stage — and to date, they’re off to an ideal begin. They’ve taken most factors, with a 2–1 win over Olympique Marseille of their opener adopted by a 5–0 rout of Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan. Guler began each matches and recorded one help.
