Arda Guler has suddenly become an anomaly, almost antithetical to what his stature was at Real Madrid last season.
He’s now nearly an irreplaceable part of Xabi Alonso’s setups. No matter what kind of team the manager fields, it almost always revolves around Guler’s creativity.
But the situation was completely opposite last season. Carlo Ancelotti is one of the greatest managers in world football with the most successful track record at elite clubs, but one of his most common criticisms has been his lack of trust in young players.
Arda Guler was a clear victim of this mindset. He wasn’t given the attention he deserved, even when he repeatedly proved that his quality was far too high to be benched and ignored.
Surely, it must have been a difficult period for Guler, being such an integral figure in the Turkish national team while being almost non-existent at club level would take a toll on any player.
Real Madrid’s hidden architect helped Arda Guler through difficult times
In a recent interaction with the press during the Club World Cup in the United States, Guler was asked about the stark contrast in his role under the two managers, and how he mentally handled the difficult stretch under Ancelotti.
The 20-year-old said, “My family, and the club with Juni Calafat helped me last year when I was not playing.”
Juni Calafat is Real Madrid’s chief scout and the man responsible for convincing the club’s senior management to sign some of the most exciting young talents in world football. His contributions in sporting terms have been immense, bordering on foundational for this new Real Madrid era.
His recent standout acquisitions include Arda Guler and Franco Mastantuono. In the latter’s case, Calafat was reportedly personally involved at the last minute to persuade the Argentine wonderkid to choose Real Madrid over Paris Saint-Germain.
It’s been genuinely heartening to witness the rise of Guler. At such a young age, lack of trust from a senior manager could have derailed his confidence.
It was both crucial and generous of Juni Calafat to step in and guide the youngster through those challenging months, helping him become the irreplaceable figure he now is.