Ilkay Gundogan shares his opinion on Arda Guler after allegedly badmouthing Barcelona teammates to him
Barcelona star Ilkay Gundogan has shared his thoughts on Real Madrid's Arda Guler following reports claiming that the German badmouthed his club teammates to the youngster. This would seem fairly odd, given both players represent arch-rivals in the Spanish top flight.
Despite that, the former Manchester City midfielder had only good things to say about the Turkey international. Speaking about the 19-year-old, Gundogan said (via @MadridXtra);
"Arda Guler? I like him a lot. He's a very characterful boy. I hope he will go on to do better and better things. He's already in a very big club like Real Madrid. We will play against each other and we are very competitive."
Guler has certainly caught the eye in recent times, most notably during Turkey's European Champions campaign in Germany this summer. During the competition, he scored a goal and bagged two assists in five appearances.
Now, the former Fenerbahce player is preparing for the new La Liga season with Real Madrid. He didn't enjoy the best of campaigns last year, as he suffered from injuries.
In all, Guler missed 29 matches across competitions for club and country due to fitness-related worries. This allowed the attacking midfielder to appear on just 10 occasions in La Liga, where he bagged six goals.
Even if Guler is fit, unfortunately, there isn't space for him in Carlo Ancelotti's starting XI. With Jude Bellingham occupying the attacking midfield slot, and Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo operating on the flanks, the Turk might have to be content with minutes off the bench.
What did Ilkay Gundogan say about his Barcelona teammates to Arda Guler?
The alleged incident where Ilkay Gundogan shared harsh words about his Barcelona teammates to Arda Guler seemingly took place when the sides met for a friendly.
Saturday's fixture (August 3) saw the Blaugrana emerge victorious by a 2-1 scoreline. Goals from Pau Victor (42' and 54') put the Catalans two ahead, after which Nico Paz pulled one back late into the match (82').
A video allegedly shows the German speaking to Guler after the match and saying (via Forbes):
"They don't play with their brains. If they play with their brains...they don't use the brain. Look at how many turnovers they've had in the last 15 minutes."
Barcelona's next pre-season fixture is against French outfit Monaco on Monday (August 12). Meanwhile, Real Madrid will be up against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup final on Wednesday (August 14).