Real Madrid showed no mercy to Elche in their last league match, sealing a resounding 4-1 victory that keeps the pressure on Barcelona. But Arda Guler stole the show, leaving his manager reaching for superlatives. The young playmaker’s strike was the highlight of a busy night at the Bernabeu, and Alvaro Arbeloa was quick to point out just how rare such a goal is in modern football.

Real Madrid cruised to a 4-1 win over struggling Elche to put the pressure back on La Liga leaders Barcelona. Los Blancos built on their thrashing of Manchester City in the Champions League, with Federico Valverde among the goal scorers again in the Spanish capital. Although it was substitute Arda Guler who stole the show with a stunning strike from his own half in the dying stages.

Real Madrid’s dressing room crisis has deepened with explosive claims that Arda Guler is being "bullied" by his own teammates. The scout who discovered the Turkish midfielder alleges a clique of stars with "very high egos" are deliberately freezing him out, a toxic dynamic that he believes also contributed to Xabi Alonso’s shock departure from the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid’s misery in Saudi Arabia was compounded by a moment of viral humiliation for Arda Guler, who was left red-faced after a furious attempt to kick a water bottle backfired spectacularly following the 3-2 Supercopa de Espana defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona. The Turkish playmaker, who had endured a difficult cameo off the bench, became the subject of social media ridicule as footage emerged of him slipping and landing on his back while his opponents celebrated their trophy triumph.

For two seasons, signing Arda Guler looked like it might have been a mistake by Real Madrid. There were, in fact, reports that they really didn't want him in the first place, and that he was instead only brought to Santiago Bernabeu because Barcelona were so keen on signing 'The Turkish Messi' from Fenerbahce. Fast-forward, though, and that assumption now seems massively misguided.