Arda Güler’s youth team coach: “He has more potential than Leo Messi”

Arad Güler’s former youth team coach at Genclerbirligi, Erol Tokgözler, spoke to Spanish media outlet AS, where he gave a lengthy interview on Real Madrid’s new Turkish signing. Tokgözler, in the interview, may have gone out of his way to ‘overhype’ the wonderkid, but nevertheless wasn’t shy about discussing his incredible talent and unique footballing abilities.

Below are some quotes from Tokgözler from the interview.

An extraordinary talent

“The first time we met he was no taller than 1.55m, but he had impressive technique. He got the ball and was very, very intelligent. He could do everything with the ball at his feet. His talent was something out of the ordinary. I have never seen talent like that at that age. When Arda starts playing in Spain, everyone will realize that he is a technically first-class footballer.

“he thing is, the ball was like another limb, a third foot. He could do anything that he set his mind on. And the best of all is that in each situation he had two, three, four or five alternatives, five different plans. The location of the field didn’t matter. He plays football with his mind. The defenders thought when they faced him, how can I stop him?”

What’s his position?

“In the tournaments he played with me, I told him that he was a special player. Beyond the tactical concepts, I invited him to do whatever occurred to him (laughs). He always played as number 10.”

Does he play like Mesut Ozil, Luka Modric, or Lionel Messi?

“Messi has already achieved everything and Arda has to do that, he is still a child. But if we talk about potential purely, Arda has more potential than Messi. Although he still has a long way to go. His football is in the initial phase, he must play many games to become the player he can be. But, as I say, Arda’s potential is better than Messi’s. He has that sort of potential only, of course.

“At Real Madrid, I think (he resembles) Luka Modric. He is not a player like, for example, Toni Kroos. Arda’s main weapon is having the ball and driving forward. He always has in mind going forward, he plays in a very vertical way, his passing is also vertical, with the goal in mind.”