Jude Bellingham has been hailed as the "best player" at Real Madrid alongside Kylian Mbappe, but ex-Real Madrid star Pedja Mijatovic claimed that Arda Guler has established himself in the lineup as an undisputed starter, thanks to his lethal partnership with the French forward. The talented Turkish international has become one of Xabi Alonso's most trusted men after spending much of the 2024-25 season on the bench.
Guler and Bellingham: Alonso's midfield lynchpins
"Arda is in the process of improving everything," Alonso told reporters after Madrid defeated Juventus 1-0 in the Champions League two weeks ago. "He's 20 years old and has already played a few games for Madrid. With his age and quality, we have to support him. He needs to improve his decision-making and pressing, but he has a lot of good qualities."
The former Bayer Leverkusen coach has transformed the Turkish international into one of the most creatively influential midfielders in the world since taking charge of Madrid ahead of the Club World Cup. He has nailed down a role in the starting lineup after playing just 2,197 minutes last season. "He gives great meaning to the game," Alonso added as he showered more praise on Guler. "When he's involved, we have a better team dynamic… I'm very happy with his progress, but we want more. He really enjoys playing football. He wants to find the pass, take the free kick… [Florian] Wirtz was like that at Leverkusen. He's young, but he's a great player."
However, he also hailed Bellingham as "one of the most complete players in the world," having reiterated time and again that the Englishman and Guler can thrive off of each other and feature in the lineup together. "I'm very happy for Jude. After his injury, he needed a good game," Alonso told after the Juve game, in which Bellingham scored the lone goal. "Aside from the goal, he played very well, in intermediate positions. We found him very well in the second half. I'm very happy for him. He played a very complete game. There was no space. Finding him between the lines was difficult… And he scored. I'm very happy for him; he enjoyed himself and was competitive.
"He's a midfielder, with the quality to build and the determination to finish. He's the kind of player who covers a lot of ground. He has many different qualities. That's why he's so complete, one of the most complete in the world."
AdvertisementAFPMijatovic hails Guler's impact and calls Bellingham the best
Speaking on El Larguero program, former Madrid player Mijatovic praised Guler and underlined his wonderful chemistry with Mbappe. "Arda Guler already has six assists, all to Mbappe. It's a promising partnership, isn't it?" he said. "Without a doubt. If I were a Real Madrid player, my first choice would always be to look for Mbappe because he offers so many solutions, right? But apart from that, yes, they understand each other very well.
"He's a young lad who's already starting to look like an undisputed starter, and that's very important for him, but he has to know that at a team like Real Madrid, you have to keep giving more and more. Especially until you win over everyone, right? And I think he's on the right track, but he still has to work harder."
Then, he spoke about Bellingham, stating: "I think he's the best player Real Madrid has, along with Mbappe. The player who gives us the most confidence."
Guler continues to feed Mbappe while Bellingham returns to his best
Mbappe has been in prolific form this season, scoring 18 goals in 14 appearances, six of which have come from the penalty spot. Remarkably, of his 12 non-penalty goals, half have been created by Guler, underscoring the growing on-field chemistry between the two. The former Fenerbahce star has also scored thrice this season, which is further evidence of his brutal impact in the final third while he is tasked to orchestrate play from midfield.
On the other hand, the biggest positive for Real Madrid from the past few weeks would be the performances of Bellingham. Having rid himself of the shoulder pain that he carried with him for the entire 2024-25 season, Bellingham is looking like the player who was a Ballon d'Or favourite in 2024. He has scored in three successive games, including the 2-1 win over rivals Barcelona. Madrid's success come next summer will be contingent on how well Bellingham plays.
AFPMadrid aiming to maintain spotless UCL record against Liverpool
Alonso’s side have been in outstanding form, winning 13 of their 14 matches across all competitions this season. They will look to extend their current winning streak to seven games when they visit Anfield on Tuesday against a Liverpool team struggling for momentum, having lost six of their last eight fixtures.