Güler’s former coach reveals his strengths and weaknesses

Arda Güler, the 18-year-old Turkish wonderkid, has completed his transfer from Fenerbahce to Real Madrid. The young midfielder, who has been compared to Lionel Messi and Mesut Ozil, has impressed many with his skills, maturity and personality. One of them is Victor Pereira, Güler’s former coach at Fenerbache.

Pereira, who is currently without a club, spoke to the Turkish media out Fanatik about Güler’s move to the Spanish giants. He praised the player’s talent, character and potential, and revealed how he discovered him in the academy.

“When I came to the team, I wanted to see the homegrown players in the first training session. Arda was 16 years old. When I saw him, I immediately noticed his maturity, talent, self-confidence and what he did with the ball. He was different from the others and I understood that he was going to be a first-team player” Pereira said.

Pereira also recalled giving Guler his first task in a Europa League match against HJK Helsinki in August 2021. “He had an extremely strong personality despite his age. He always improved his weaknesses by working hard. Arda is a football player,” he said.

The Portuguese coach also highlighted Guler’s strengths and weaknesses, and compared him to two famous players. “His ability to make decisions with the ball is his strongest feature. His free kicks and his left foot are very effective. Very accurate in the last pass before the goal. As the only feature that he lacks, I can say that he is not a very fast player, although he is not slow either. But he has a great technique. He is a mix of James Rodriguez and Paulo Dybala stylistically. From number 10 to number 8. I think his future level will be very high. He does not need advice. He has a wonderful family and he is a very good boy,” he said.

Managing Madrid’s chief editor Kiyan Sobhani, meanwhile, compared Güler to Angel di Maria in a Twitter thread on Thursday:

Pereira also wished Guler all the best in his new adventure at Real Madrid. “I hope he will be very successful. He is a great kid. Since the first time I saw him, I never doubted his potential and what he would do,” he said.

Guler will join Real Madrid’s pre-season training camp in the United States. He will compete for a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.