How Arda Guler became Kylian Mbappe's provider-in-chief and the underrated star of Real Madrid's attack

When Guler first broke onto the scene as a teenage prodigy in Turkey, it was Barca - along with Arsenal - who were most routinely linked with his signature. The Blaugrana lacked a creative player of his ilk, and there was a feeling in Catalunya that Guler could be developed into a star of the future alongside the club's homegrown talents. 

In early 2023, Barca club president Joan Laporta went on record promising that the deal was all-but done - with the condition that Guler would not arrive until the start of the following campaign. 

“Today [Barca sporting director] Deco was in Istanbul,” said Laporta. "La Liga allows us to carry out operations for next season without impacting ‘Financial Fair Play’. Arda Guler is a very talented player who Deco likes a lot, and we are trying to close the operation."

And then Madrid stepped in. Los Blancos insist that they had their eye on Guler for months before Barca made their move, but their Clasico rivals weren't so convinced. Madrid offered an initial €20 million (£17m/$22m), with the promise of another €10m in add-ons, and ensured Guler that he would be given minutes in the first team from day one. Laporta later came out, in very Laporta style, and insisted that it would have been a massive mistake to sign Guler anyway.

"We moved away from the Guler operation because of the magnitude it was reaching. We thought it would be a mistake on our part," he said after Madrid announced the teenager's signing. "There are more players that I think we can get without entering such a bidding war.

"We could have come to compete for Guler, but we decided not to. We have a certain line and we don't cross it. Neither with Arda nor with other players who want to come to Barca."

When Guler arrived into the Spanish capital, his quality on the ball could not be denied, but there were clearly physical limitations given the stage of his development, and perhaps unsurprisingly he swiftly picked up an injury which forced him to watch from the Bernabeu stands for months before he was eventually handed his debut in January 2024. Even then, though, Carlo Ancelotti seemed unconvinced.

"He did an hour well but obviously he is not at his best physically," the then-Madrid boss said. "The important thing was for him to get used to playing with the team, to show his quality. You have to be patient. He showed the quality he has in the first half. He has personality and character, it’s true. That’s a good thing. He stands out for the quality he has above all, but character is important to do well at Real Madrid."

Guler was subsequently made to wait for more opportunities, with Luka Modric preferred to him on a number of occasions while Bellingham thrived in the other advanced midfield role. The Turkey international did score six goals in his final seven La Liga appearances of the season as Ancelotti rotated in a bid to win the Champions League after sealing the league title, but that did little to convince the legendary Italian coach of Guler's capabilities, and he was trusted to start just 18 games across all competitions in 2024-25, averaging just 41 minutes per appearance.

Alonso has, by contrast, had no such reservations and has instead made Guler a crucial part of his set-up from his very first games in charge at the Club World Cup. The ex-Bayer Leverkusen boss brought the playmaker on at half-time in Madrid's opening game against Al-Hilal, and he subsequently remained in the line up for the rest of their run to the semi-finals.

That faith has continued into the 2025-26 campaign, where Guler has started 14 of Madrid's 16 games in all competitions thus far, returning three goals and six assists. When you consider his performances for Turkey in World Cup qualifying, and he has totalled 15 goal contributions in around 1,700 minutes on the pitch.

Within La Liga, Guler's average of 0.91 goal contributions every 90 minutes for Madrid puts him in the 98th percentile within the division, while the 40 chances he has created in all competitions makes him the leader among players in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues.

Alonso has also called on Guler to improve the defensive side of his game, and the numbers suggest he is well on his way to doing so. His 0.74 interceptions per 90 minutes are in the 74th percentile among attacking midfielders, while his tackles won, 1.78, puts him in the 84th percentile. Those numbers are hardly elite, but they aren't bad either - especially for a team that consistently has more of the ball than their opponents and has a real desire to win it back as quickly as possible. 

Perhaps most important for Madrid's chances of success in the coming months, however, is Guler's connection with Mbappe. The Frenchman and Vinicius might profile as a devastating attacking duo, but they are seldom on the same wavelength, and that can lead to promising attacks breaking down when the pair try to combine.

By comparison, Guler and Mbappe have developed far more of a connection. All six of the Turkey midfielder's assists this season have been for Mbappe, and Guler has spoken of how they "understand each other very well," while being compared to another devastating duo of recent Madrid past.

“I like the comparisons between Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil and Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler," the 20-year-old said when asked whether he can replicate Ozil, who assisted goals for Ronald on 39 occasions during their time together at the Bernabeu. "They’ve achieved great things, but significant success is always achieved by a team, never just two players."  

Guler's ability to pick a pass has helped Mbappe maintain his central position far more this season, with the Frenchman much more keen to combine with Madrid's No.15 rather than edge away from Guler's position on the right of the midfield three and towards his favoured left-hand side. As such, Alonso's Madrid look much more balanced than they did under Ancelotti last term.

There remain some issues with Guler's presence in the line up, however. Madrid's is a squad stuffed full of Galacticos, and Alonso will need to keep them all happy, something which scattered reports suggest he is struggling to keep on top of.

One such player is Bellingham, who has made a triumphant return to the Madrid XI over the past month after recovering from shoulder surgery. He has slotted into the left No.8 position alongside Guler, but there are question marks whether both can play in the same side, especially if Alonso also deploys a front three ahead of them.

Bellingham is immensely talented on the ball, but can offer a bit more midfield muscle than Guler, who is fleet-footed and more suited to taking on teams in the Spanish top-flight than he is the best Europe has to offer. The pair played alongside one another against Liverpool last time out in the Champions League, for example, with Guler pushed further forward on the right in the absence of an out-and-out winger. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was very quiet at Anfield, and Alonso must find a way to get his best attacking midfielders into the same system given how much Mbappe enjoys playing ahead of Guler.

One solution that has been put forward is for Guler to eventually drop into a deeper role within the Madrid midfield and become the pass-master that Los Blancos have been crying out for since Toni Kroos' retirement in the summer of 2024. The ex-Germany international, though, isn't convinced.

"I'm happy that he's getting significantly more playing time this year for the first time, because he deserves it based on his footballing ability and he's a lad we can count on in the future," Kroos told Sport1. "But I don't believe in comparisons. Arda is also a different type of player than me. His best position is much more attacking than mine, so it's not about him succeeding me at all.

"I've played alongside him. He has a really delicate touch, which he's already used very effectively for Real this season. That's why I hope he continues to get consistent playing time, because that's the only way to improve. Then I'm sure he can make his mark at Real for many years to come."

Regardless, Alonso has made it clear that he rates Guler very highly, and as long as he continues to put the ball on a plate for Mbappe, he will have a spot in the Madrid team for a long time.