Real Madrid star attacking midfielder Arda Guler had his best season yet in 2025/26 even with all the turmoil at the club, and he was one of the few players to emerge from the campaign with a better reputation and almost universal praise for his quality and attitude as Real stumbled to another season without a single trophy.
Guler had four goals, nine assists, and more than two key passes per game as the main creative hub of Madrid, showing a particularly keen connection with Kylian Mbappe. Regardless of where he played in the midfield, Guler made an impact as a playmaker from deep, wide, or, at his best, at the heart of it all as a No. 10.
Real Madrid fans are hoping to see Guler become a mainstay in the starting lineup after getting ramped up to a little over 2,000 La Liga minutes last season - but still not quite at the undisputed 3,000 threshold where he is a true untouchable.
Arda Guler is a centerpiece player
Now, The Athletic's Mario Cortegana is reporting that Real Madrid consider Arda Guler a cornerstone of the sporting project and are in particularly impressed with Guler's technical quality and connection with the club's biggest name, Kylian Mbappe.
It is impossible to deny what Guler and Mbappe have, and there will be plenty of comparisons to Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo, especially with Jose Mourinho now taking charge of the Royal Whites - and many Madridistas hope he brings back that record breaking, swashbuckling counter attacking style to the White House.
Everything about the summer points to the biggest year yet from Guler, who is determined to win after suffering the most during Real's knockout loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Stealing Michael Olise from that same Bayern will help Guler have another option to spray assists for double digits after getting nine big ones in 2025/26, but the Turkish international will still be the main delivery system for the Royal Whites in 2026/27 even without the Frenchman on the right wing.
Mourinho sounds ready to do more than what his predecessors did with Guler, and many Real Madrid fans felt that even Carlo Ancelotti was holding the 21 year old sensation back. Even before he truly broke out, Mou wanted Guler for himself in the Turkish Super Lig, and he now has a chance to make him the crown jewel and true breakout superstar playmaker Madridistas have been asking for.
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