Mesut Ozil says he is reminded of his younger self when watching Arda Guler strut his stuff in a Real Madrid shirt and the midfielder must be ‘protected’ at all costs.
Guler is enjoying his second season with Madrid following a €20million (£16.5m) transfer move from Fenerbahce back in 2023.
The 19-year-old got his hands on three pieces of silverware across an extraordinary debut campaign at the Bernabeu as Carlo Ancelotti’s men won La Liga, the Champions League and the Spanish Super Cup.
And while Guler has had to be patient for regular minutes in Madrid’s first-team, he is widely considered to be among the most exciting players in European football.
Given his playing style and Turkish heritage, Guler has naturally drawn comparisons to Ozil, who briefly served as his mentor during their time together at Fenerbahce.
Guler has even been linked with another of Ozil’s former clubs, Arsenal, in recent months, with the Gunners believed to have made an approach for the teenager ahead of the January transfer window.
The similarities are not lost on Ozil who, during in an interview with Turkish media, backed the young Turkey international to enjoy major success in the game – as long as he receives the support he needs going forward.
‘When I look at football right now, I am in a period where I do not enjoy it very much,’ the World Cup-winning German said.
‘There were big names in my time, but right now I think Arda Guler is like me.’
Ozil added: ‘We need to protect talents like Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz (Juventus and Turkey forward).
‘Whether they play badly or well, there is nothing they cannot achieve when their nation is behind them.’
Ozil went on to reveal how Arsene Wenger first tried to sign him for Arsenal in 2010, three years before he eventually wound up in north London.
‘PSG wanted me, Bayern Munich wanted me,’ he explained.
‘Arsene Wenger called me before I went to Madrid, but I said, “I’m sorry, I got an offer from Real, I’ll go there”.
‘But I told him that if I left, I would come to Arsenal. And that’s what happened.’
According to Spanish publication SPORT, Guler has grown increasingly frustrated with his peripheral role at Madrid and will strongly consider his future at the end of the season.
Guler is said to be desperate to boost his game-time ahead of Turkey’s 2026 World Cup campaign and feels a move may be necessary in order to achieve this, unless his situation improves over the coming months.
‘I try and give my very best with every opportunity I get,’ Guler said after scoring twice in Madrid’s win over Deportiva Minera last month.
‘I got the goals today and helped the team. I’m thrilled to be chipping in but the win was the most important thing.
‘We put in a great team performance. I hope we can keep winning these games, playing this well and making our fans happy,’ Guler said after scoring twice in Madrid’s win over Deportiva Minera last month.
‘It was a fantastic team display today, I hope we can keep playing like this.’
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