Turkey's new darling
Arda Güler becomes the youngest player to score on his European Championship debut. The super talent from Real Madrid is Turkey's great hope. He is predicted to have a global career like Mesut Özil.
On Tuesday evening, footballer Arda Güler scored a dream goal for Turkey to give his countrymen their first victory at this European Championship. The goal looked like a copy of Güler's first international goal a year ago. Mesut Özil expressed his state of mind in a post. The German world champion of Turkish origin, who moved to Istanbul some time ago, wrote on social media: "Ardaaaaaaa . . .!!!" Özil added a gemstone and two fire signs to his joy, as well as the Turkish national flag with the crescent moon.
Many Turks must have felt that relieved at that moment. The commentator on TV station TRT 1 also shouted Güler's first name into the microphone and cheered euphorically like the Turkish fans in the Dortmund stadium. The south stand, usually colored black and yellow, where BVB supporters watch their club's home games, resembled a red wall.
Arda Güler is the Turkish blessing, writes Spain's Marca
The crowd celebrated the Real Madrid attacker Güler, who shot himself and his country onto the crescent moon with an irresistible shot to make it 2-1. They adored him like a great love. The 19-year-old replaced Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo as the youngest goalscorer in history to score on his own European Championship debut. The media also praised Güler. He was the Turkish blessing, commented Spain's sports newspaper Marca, and the Guardian ran the headline: "Güler brings the thunder as Turkey weather the storm." The British newspaper was not referring to the remarkable performance of the Georgians, who played their part in the best European Championship match to date with their neat attacking football. Rather, it was a reference to the torrential downpour that poured down on the stadium spectators before the game.
As the best player of the match, Güler rounded off the performances of the internationally renowned European Championship rookies, who dominated the first round of matches. Güler's contemporaries Jude Bellingham (England), Lamine Yamal (Spain) and the Germans Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala had previously performed in the same style.
The fact that the hype surrounding Arda Güler exceeds the enthusiasm about the achievements of previous top players associated with Turkey is due to his origins. Unlike his predecessors Özil, Nuri Sahin and the Altintop brothers Halil and Hamit, who were all born in Germany, Güler comes from the central Anatolian city of Ankara. He moved to Fenerbahce Istanbul's academy at the age of 14 and signed his first professional contract a year later. At 16, Güler made his debut for Fener in the first division; his exceptional talent was evident early on.
The European Championship has so far been a tournament of debutants
Pride in the super talent overrode the pronounced rivalries in Turkish club football. Güler's success is equally appreciated everywhere. "He is the darling of all Turks," says Kenan Kocak in a telephone conversation with the NZZ. Hardly anyone else knows Arda Güler as well as Kocak, because he accompanied him for two years as assistant to the Turkish national team. He helped Güler become an international player at the age of 17. Since then, the youngster has been predicted a world career in Turkey, which traditionally seems to know nothing but exuberance and downfall in football. He was quickly compared to Özil - and as he got better and better, even to Lionel Messi. Kocak says diplomatically that Güler is in any case the most talented Turkish player for many decades.
Like the exceptional players mentioned above, Arda Güler is also left-footed and mainly plays as a playmaker or down the right flank. He handles the ball well and has a comprehensive understanding of the game. Güler's ability to find his bearings in tight spaces is unparalleled, says Kocak. His low center of gravity and delicate movements also make him almost unstoppable when dribbling. However, the former Hannover coach is most impressed by the player's maturity: the way he deals with the hype surrounding him is remarkable, says Kocak. Despite his fame, Güler never appears aloof within the team. He is shy and respectful, yet self-confident.
In the summer of 2023, Real Madrid activated the release clause in Güler's contract. At the player's insistence, the club is said to have added a few million euros to the fixed transfer fee of 17.5 million euros. The move to Spain after just 51 professional games at home was reminiscent of the Norwegian Martin Ödegaard, who joined the Whites in 2015 with even less experience. Güler did not make any appearances in the first half of the season, partly due to an injury to his right medial meniscus. He also had a difficult time with the Champions League winners in the second half of the season. In the end, he only made twelve competitive appearances - none of them in the European Cup.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti tried to calm impatience in Turkey by stating that Arda Güler had not been given the playing time he deserved. Kocak says that Güler can train at world-class level in Madrid, but a young professional needs regular match practice. The fact that Güler has so far not made the move he had hoped for is not because he cannot withstand the pressure. He is used to that at Fenerbahce. Rather, the competition at Real is huge. In pre-season, he had to hold his own against Vinicius, Rodrygo and Bellingham. Now France's world champion Kylian Mbappé is joining the team.
Mesut Özil urges his compatriots to be patient
Özil, who played for Real himself from 2010 to 2013 and later played with Güler for Fenerbahce, recently urged the Turks to be patient with their compatriot in Marca. He is certain that Arda Güler's time will come at some point, said Özil. Perhaps it has already begun with Turkey's first goal of the tournament.