Real Madrid see Arda Güler as much more than a useful squad piece, and his return from international duty has only sharpened that view. He was the first player from the World Cup group to report back for training, then returned to the Merengue club on Monday after finishing his holidays. Turkiye had already gone out in the group stage, but Madrid's internal read on him has only strengthened.
Madrid's view of Guler
Mario Cortegana said Madrid have always seen Guler as a cornerstone of their project going forward. That is the clearest line in the reporting, and it fits the wider sense around him inside the club.
The same coverage says Madrid believe he can provide the creative quality needed to balance the physical strengths already present in the team. That is a neat fit for his profile, and it also explains why an early return from holiday matters more than the usual pre-season noise.
The Mbappe connection
The other piece is Kylian Mbappé. Madrid's thinking is helped by the idea that Guler can connect with him in attack, which adds another reason to keep him close to the centre of the project.
Guler's World Cup numbers also show he was not just drifting through the tournament. He played 3 matches, logged 280 minutes and finished with a 7.12 average rating. For a player coming back into a big club setup, that is a decent competitive workload, not a throwaway cameo run.
The point is simple enough. Madrid are not treating him like someone to fill space. They are treating him like a player whose technical quality, timing and link play can shape the next phase of the team, even before the wider squad has fully regrouped.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
