Arda Guller finished with 6 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, the kind of return that has pushed him into the conversation for the 2026 World Cup. At 21, he is being framed as a classic No. 10 while Lionel Messi is 39, Cristiano Ronaldo is 41 and Neymar is no longer at the peak of his career.
Real Madrid and Arda Guller
The 2025/2026 season was the first in which Guller consolidated himself as an undisputed starter at Real Madrid. Sofascore statistics placed him among the club’s best average ratings, and his numbers were built on output from deeper creative areas rather than finishing alone.
He does not play as a center forward and usually does not take penalties. That profile fits the role he has been given: a player who can connect the midfield to the final third and still deliver end product. His season line split into 4 goals and 9 assists in La Liga, plus 2 goals and 4 assists in the Champions League.
Turkey and Vincenzo Montella
Turkey’s case is sharper because the country has not played a World Cup since 2002, when it finished third. Guller had not been born then. Now he is a key piece of Turkey’s World Cup project and a fundamental part of Vincenzo Montella’s system during qualifying.
That role has been described in blunt terms before, including the line “Arda Güler lidera a Turquía.” FIFA also put him on its list of the most outstanding young prospects for the 2026 World Cup, a sign that his club form has already spilled into the international conversation.
2026 World Cup Stage
The next World Cup gives him the platform that fits the player he has become. Michael Owen, James Rodríguez and Kylian Mbappé are the type of young breakouts the tournament has produced before, and Guller is being placed in that lane because his game already carries the responsibilities of a creator rather than a finisher.
For Turkey, that means a 21-year-old midfielder is carrying the link between possession and chance creation as the country returns to the World Cup stage 24 years after its last appearance. For Guller, it means the numbers already point toward a larger role in 2026.
