Snatching the crown from Yamal: Guler, the silent genius making the difference in half a match

Arda Guler's chance creation rate stands at 8.3 key passes per 90 minutes, according to data from the HudlStatsBomb platform, a phenomenal figure by any measure. 

Second place tells the story. Roma's Wesley sits well back on 4.6 chances, followed by Manchester City's Rayan Cherki with 3.9, Bayern Munich star Michael Olise with 3.5, Martin Odegaard with 3.4 and Barcelona star Lamine Yamal with 3.3. Guler doesn't just beat them. He doubles them.

Look at La Liga alone and the picture holds. Spanish newspaper "AS" confirm Guler is the undisputed king of chances, having created 24 goalscoring chances in the first five rounds against just 18 for his nearest rival Lamine Yamal. He also tops the list for chances converted with 6, compared to 5 for Yamal.

Most surprising of all? These numbers came in just 227 minutes of play, at an average of 45.4 minutes per match. The Turk needs less than a single half to turn a game around.

He started against Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Real Betis, but finished none of them. His longest outing was 78 minutes against Sociedad.

Malaga saw him arrive in the 87th minute, Rayo Vallecano in the 72nd. Inside 20 minutes he teed up Mbappe with a magical cross to the far post, a moment no other Real Madrid player managed all match.

Since arriving for his fourth season with Los Blancos, Guler has been viewed as the rightful heir to Luka Modric in midfield rather than a right winger. That is why neither he nor those around him fretted over the arrival of Franco Mastantuono, who operates in the same channel.

Xabi Alonso adopted the idea last season, and the current coaching staff under Jose Mourinho have carried it on: gradually reshaping Guler to play alongside a holding player such as Tchouameni. 

Jude Bellingham owns the advanced attacking midfield role. Guler's vision and his knack for controlling the tempo, though, mark him out as a prospective creative holding player. 

Alonso spoke about him at the Club World Cup: "The time has come to invest in Arda's development. We are pushing him to gain experience and maturity, even if he makes mistakes as part of his development."

Güler's game is about more than the final ball now. His defensive numbers point to a more mature, committed player. He ranks fourth in La Liga for ball recoveries in the final attacking third with 5, behind Vinícius on 6 and level with Baena and Romero.

Set pieces have turned him into a lethal weapon, too. The moment he came on against Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid's chaotic deliveries became a system. He whipped in a free kick that Dumfries met with a dangerous header, then a well-worked corner that Rüdiger converted. It was the precision the team had lacked while Vinícius and Mbappé swapped short corners.

Real Madrid's board know exactly what they have on their hands: a jewel of rare quality. His contract ran until 2029, but the club moved swiftly this summer to extend it to 2032, a clear signal that they intend to build the future of their midfield around him.

Mourinho summed it all up after the Rayo Vallecano match: "Arda is an excellent player, his talent is immense and his impact is positive. His vision, his decision-making, the stability he gives the team, his potential is enormous and his statistics are impressive. I don't want to exaggerate and say he is the best of all time, but he is certainly among the best."

Guler is no longer merely a substitute waiting for one of the stars to pick up an injury. He has become the difficult equation that imposes itself through the numbers, the question they can no longer ignore in the offices of Valdebebas. How do you keep the most creative player in Europe on the bench?