Arda Güler Net Worth, Salary & Estimated Wealth

Arda Guler was born February 25th, 2005, in Altindag, a hillside municipality on the fringes of Ankara, Turkey. 

A gifted footballer from a very young age, he joined the Genclerbirligi SK academy aged just nine, a club based just a short drive from his family home. There he developed. There he beat three or four opponents at a time. There he shone.

So much so that he was the subject of a £2.1m bid from Fenerbahce when only 14 years old. The money was too good for Genclerbirligi to turn down while for the teenage winger the opportunity was too good to pass up.

One of the three big giants of Turkish football – and winner of the Super Lig on 19 occasions – the Yellow Canaries offered up a fast-track to the big time; a chance to make a name for himself early.

Which he duly did, excelling through the youth levels and quickly picking up the somewhat unwelcome tag of being the ‘Turkish Messi’.

It was a label Guler hated, much preferring to be compared to Mesut Ozil, his footballing hero.

Still, for all that it’s a wild exaggeration, the comparisons to the Argentine genius have some merit. The ball sticks to the youngster like glue. He has a low centre of gravity. And, with the ability to explode into life from a standing start, Guler can make things happen in an instant.

Not for nothing is he tipped to become the next megastar of world football.

That lofty prediction became more real when he joined Real Madrid in July 2023, the teen seamlessly slotting into a squad of galacticos. This summer meanwhile he aims to inspire Turkey at Euro 2024, Guler being their brightest hope for a couple of generations.

His fast-track to the big time is now well underway, a journey that has also made the 19-year-old extraordinarily rich.

How Much Is Arda Güler Worth?

Guler’s current salary at Madrid is €100,000 a week which equates to €5.2m a year. 

There are also bonuses to consider, not least because Los Blancos won La Liga and the Champions League in 2023/24. For completing this double, each player was furnished with €1.2m.

Before he even headed to Spain, Guler was a Nike athlete, his rumoured £1.5m exclusive deal with the sporting brand a reflection on his enormous potential. There is additionally image rights to factor in, with Real Madrid merchandise selling in the millions around the globe.

When it’s acknowledged that the silky midfielder was comfortably a millionaire back in his naïve Turkey, it’s entirely logical to price his net worth at £8m. 

Galactico

Across his two seasons in the Super Lig, the teenager scored seven and assisted seven in 33 league games. If these figures don’t astound it’s worth remembering that he made his debut aged just 16 in a Europa League clash. He was still finding his way in life as well as on the pitch.

Not that Guler lacked confidence in either regard. “When I play, I think I’m going to score,” he remarked in an interview. “Going out on loan doesn’t enter my thinking,” he stated on joining Real. 

Helping Fenerbahce win the Turkish Cup in June 2023 was the perfect sign-off ahead of his €20m move but then disaster struck on arriving at the Bernabeu when a niggling knee problem turned into a full-blown injury requiring surgery.

When he returned to training a couple of months later a series of muscle complications extended his absence. Guler didn’t make his bow with Los Blancos until late January.

When he did though, the exciting talent made up for lost time. Granted, at first he had to settle for late cameos – ten minutes here, ten minutes there – but with Real challenging on several fronts and with the squad tiring, Carlo Ancelotti placed his faith in the 19-year-old, giving him increasing game-time.

Guler scored five in four starts at the season’s end as the Spanish behemoths made a formality of the sports betting by securing their 36th league title. 

The Crescent Stars 

Long viewed as Turkey’s next wunderkind, Guler made his first international outing in 2022, coming off the bench against Czech Republic. It then took him a mere two further appearances to announce himself.

In a crucial Euro qualifier at home to Wales, the winger received possession wide on the right, cut inside, and curled a beautiful long-range effort into the far corner of the visitor’s goal. It was a strike that doubled up as a statement. It was special indeed.

Only then injury struck, and though previously he was only on the scene for a figurative five minutes, and though he’s still a teenager, this summer oddly feels like a return. A do-over. 

In a tricky group, and with recent history for imploding at major competitions, understandably Turkey are distantly-priced in the football betting to go far in Germany. But with the ‘next Messi’ in their ranks, who’s to say for sure? 

With his superb displays at the Bernabeu leading in the tournament, there is every chance that Arda Guler can be a megastar yet.

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*