What happened?
Mesut Ozil enjoyed a successful spell with Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, before leaving the club for Arsenal, and he still has fond memories of his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, keeping a close eye on the performances of one player at the club in particular.
What did Ozil say?
During a press moment that was published on social media, the former midfielder was asked who he would pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who was his team-mate at Real Madrid. However, his answer was possibly somewhat surprising as he picked neither of the two greats and went for a surprise third option instead: Arda Guler.
The data
While Guler is not a regular starter for Carlo Ancelotti, having started only three of the 11 matches of the current season, he is a key figure for the Turkish national team and recently scored one of the goals in the victory over Iceland in the UEFA Nations League.
Did you know?
When signing for Real Madrid a year ago, in July 2023, Guler acknowledged that his football idol is Mesut Ozil, who already had words of praise for the left-footed youngster back then, too.
“I can think of a better No.10 than me and I hope God protects him. It’s Arda Güler.”
What’s next for Guler and Real Madrid?
Los Blancos face Celta de Vigo on matchday 10 of LaLiga on Saturday at Balaídos.
Guler will be hoping to make the starting XI and potentially complete an attacking quartet consisting of Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Jr, with Kylian Mbappe missing the recent France games due to injury and possibly being slowly eased back into the team at Madrid.