Arda Güler
Active- Current or last club
- Real Madrid
- Country (nationality)
- Turkey
- League or competition
- La Liga
- Position
- Attacking midfielder
- How is the religion known?
- Stated publicly by the player
- Last checked
- 9 October 2026
We list a player’s religion only where they have spoken about it publicly or it has been reliably reported, and we link our sources. If something is wrong, or a player’s views have changed, please tell us and we will review it.
Table of Contents
What religion is Arda Güler?
Arda Güler is a Turkish professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim. His devotion dates back to his early childhood in Turkey, where at just seven years old, he attended a Qur’an school and won a medal for his dedication to Qur’an memorization and Islamic studies. Even as his professional profile has elevated to the global stage, Güler maintains a quiet, deeply rooted commitment to his religion, publicly stating that Allah is the foremost priority in his life.
Güler’s faith is most visible through his signature goal celebration, where he places one hand on his chest and points his other index finger toward the sky. He has explicitly stated that this gesture represents Tawakkul, the Islamic concept of absolute trust and reliance on Allah’s plan. Explaining the ritual, Güler stated,
“My goal celebration is based on Tawakkul. I believe that everything comes from Allah.” The chest placement symbolizes his heart’s conviction, while the upward finger acknowledges the oneness of God.
Güler plays as an attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and represents the Türkiye national football team. He began his senior professional career with the Turkish side Fenerbahçe in 2021 before signing with Real Madrid in 2023. Among his career accomplishments, he won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid and was named the Breakthrough Player of the 2025/26 Champions League.
Early life
Arda Güler was born on February 25, 2005, in Altındağ, a municipality in Ankara, Türkiye. He began his youth football career with Gençlerbirliği Spor Kulübü in 2014. In 2019, just before his 14th birthday, Guler moved to Istanbul on his own to join Fenerbahçe’s academy. Prior to his competitive transition, Güler also served as a ball boy in the Genclerbirliği-Trabzonspor match in 2018.
Fenerbahçe
In January 2021, Güler signed his first professional contract with Fenerbahçe. He played on Fenerbahçe’s under-19 team, and in 18 matches with the U-19 team, he scored seven goals. During the U-19 Play-Off quarterfinal match, Güler scored three goals and was the top scorer in the Play-Off that season. In August 2021, he made his senior debut at the age of just 16 in a Europa League play-off game against HJK Helsinki. In March 2022, Guler became the youngest player ever to score for Fenerbahçe at 17 years old.
Following reported transfer interest from several major European clubs, Fenerbahçe announced that Guler had signed a three-year contract with them. He achieved his first career trophy by winning the Turkish Cup while playing for Fenerbahçe and won the Man of the Match award in a 2–0 victory against İstanbul Başakşehir before moving to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid
In July 2023, Real Madrid announced the signing of Arda Güler from Fenerbahçe on a six-year deal. Madrid reportedly paid €20 million, which surpassed his €17.5 million release clause. Güler suffered several injuries in the second half of 2023 that delayed his team debut. He subsequently made his Real Madrid debut in January 2024 during a Copa del Rey match against Arandina. Later that month, Guler and Jude Bellingham, who was signed the same year, both secured their first trophy with Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final. He has since won many trophies with Madrid, including La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
International career
Güler was a Turkish youth international, and his senior international debut occurred in November 2022. The following year, he scored his first senior international goal during a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Wales. That goal, in March of 2023, made him the youngest ever player to score a goal for the Turkish national team in a competitive match, at just 18 years and 114 days old.
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Güler provided an assist to help defeat Romania and advance Türkiye to the playoff final, where they subsequently secured their first World Cup appearance in 24 years by beating Kosovo 1–0. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, Güler scored in Türkiye’s 3-2 win over the hosts, the United States, in the final game of Group D.
Salary
Arda Güler’s current contract, signed in 2023 and running until 2029, reportedly pays him €5.2 million per year, roughly €100,000 per week.
