"We need to protect talents like him" - Mesut Ozil claims one Real Madrid star reminds him of himself

Former Real Madrid and Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has claimed that current Los Blancos youngster Arda Guler is a player who reminds him of himself. The Turkiye international is in his second season at the Santiago Bernabeu, having previously represented Fenerbahce.

During his playing days, Ozil was one of the finest creative midfielders in Europe, regularly creating for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema for Los Blancos. He also played a key role for Germany as they won bronze in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and gold in the World Cup in 2014.

In an interview with TRT Spor, Ozil shared that he sees a lot of himself in 19-year-old Real Madrid midfielder Guler. He also pointed out the need for such young talents to be protected as their careers progress.

“I see a lot of myself in Arda Güler. We need to protect talents like him,” Ozil said.

Originally from Turkiye, Mesut Ozil represented the German national team, unlike Guler who played for the nation at Euro 2024 last summer. Both men have similar styles of play, being left-footed attacking midfielders, and have a number of clubs in common. While Guler was beginning his career at Fenerbahce in Turkiye, Ozil was nearing the end of his, and their paths crossed briefly in Istanbul.

Arda Guler has struggled for regular minutes since completing his move to Real Madrid from the Turkish giants in the summer of 2023, making 40 appearances in all. The youngster is rated very highly by manager Carlo Ancelotti, and with a contract until 2029, he may well surpass Ozil's 159 appearances for the club.

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Arda Guler an unused sub again as Real Madrid drop points at Osasuna

Turkish sensation Arda Guler was once more an unused sub for Real Madrid as they played out a 1-1 draw against Osasuna in LaLiga. The 19-year-old midfielder did not come off the bench for a third successive game as he continues to struggle for regular minutes at the club.

Kylian Mbappe scored for Los Blancos in the first half before Jude Bellingham received a straight red card for dissent a few minutes into the break. Osasuna found an equalizer in the second half, as Ante Budimir fired a penalty into the back of the Real Madrid net.

Guler last appeared for the Spanish giants in the Copa del Rey quarterfinal win over Leganes on February 5th and has been an unused sub in three games since then. He has recorded three goals and five assists in 27 appearances this season for the club.