-They call me Abi.
-Are they calling you "Abi"? -They call me "Arda Abi".
-Everyone is saying? -Yes everyone "abi abi abi"
-Do they call the youngest as "Abi"? I'm also surprised when
Modric says "Abi" to me. Interesting, because they don't know
what "Abi" means in Turkish. You recently took a video with Alaba. -Dinner At Evening?
-Yes -All right, all right.
-OK, brother. He grew up in Austria
in a hood where there were many Turks. Because
there are too many Turks in Austria. So I'll tell you. I'll even
say this, he is making jokes. You're fan of Fenerbahçe,
I'm fan of Galatasaray. How would you tell "The Goal"
if you were telling it? You tell me, I can't.
I don't know that. How am I going to tell it?
It was so nice. Would you dribble the goalkeeper
again or would you shoot ? I would dribble him again. Can you mumble a bit ? No, come on, don't do this to me.
Don't do it to me Hi, dear Madridistas, I am so
glad for your love and support. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW The quintessential celebration cake
Halley presents Kafa Sports Arda Güler Exclusive Interview MADRID, SPAIN Welcome to the Kafa Sports. Türkiye's and the world's most
colourful sports platform KAFA Sports is live as of today and
is on its first broadcast today! We are starting with a broadcast
that will give you the most colourful you can't find anywhere in
the world and Türkiye, you can't find anywhere on any
sports platform, we are starting with a broadcast that will give you
a great idea of what we will do. This is the Valdebebas the training
ground of one of the 3 biggest clubs in the world
according to UEFA ranking. When you walk here, you come
across the biggest stars of the world. We are here for the first
interview with Arda Güler the Turkish star that all
the world's media is chasing. Actually, my story with
Arda goes back a bit further. Those who know, know
that many years ago I went to the Dereağzı facilities to watch
a young even a child footballer. He was 15 years old
and the talent I saw on the pitch, the performance
he put on the pitch. At the age of 15, he impressed me a lot
and that evening I went on my first programme
at the TV channel I was working at that time and talked
about a 15-year-old player. Arda Güler. That boy has turned into a young star at the
age of 19 and today he is making a name for himself at
one of the biggest clubs in the world. Lucky me, I'm doing his first interview. My guest is Arda Güler.
Arda, welcome. Thanks a lot, you welcome as well I wish
the best for your Youtube Channel. How are you feeling?
What's it like to be Arda of Real Madrid? It's a beautiful thing. I still get goosebumps when you say
that. This is the biggest club in the world. To play in Real Madrid was my biggest dream since my
childhood. What was your dream when
you first started playing football? Do you see yourself in Real Madrid? For example, each generation
has its own team, its own club. I mean, Real Madrid has been
one of the greats of every era. The greatest players
of every era were there. But in your childhood Real Madrid,
for example, who were your stars? What kind Arda of Real Madrid
were you dreaming of? When I was little,
I didn't have such dreams, because it was too far away,
sometimes we can watch it on TV, sometimes we can't watch el-Classico, so I was watching a lot of Fenerbahçe
matches, a lot of the Turkish League, I had the opportunity to watch a lot Alex,
I wish that I'd be like Alex. I mean, I had such
dreams when I was little. How does it feel to play for Real
Madrid? It's my first time at Valdebebas. I mean, it is more than the training
facilities we can imagine in Türkiye. Now, we were even joking around with
the team downstairs in our backyard. If you add up all the sports
clubs and infrastructure facilities in Türkiye, you can
barely find makes one Valdebebas. There are 10 or 12 training grounds itself. The field where you train is bigger
than many stadiums in Türkiye. How does it feel to play here?
There are some incredible stars. You see Modric passing by, you
turn left there is Vinicius Junior. They are completely trying to raise
the comfort zone for the players here. The grounds we play on,
the facilities we use. In other words, all the
staff, all the club officials are thinking about how to
make the player happier. I feel very
comfortable being here. Let's go back to the
beginning of the process. As a journalist, I was
closely following the process when Real Madrid first
became interested in you. I don't think there's a club in the world
that hasn't made you a transfer offer. I mean, from Paris to Bayern,
from Barca to Inter in Italy. You were on the list of players
wanted by clubs all over the world. Tell me about that process. First start to the transfer
Real Madrid's first offer to you, what you felt when
you heard the first offer. We were at a match against
Wales in the national team camp. After the Wales match, I went on holiday. -Where was the team camp then?
-It was in Samsun. The last time we played was in Samsun,
It went very well. After that, I started to
think about my future at work, where I went on a little holiday. Because before that, my
father took care of everything. I was only focussed on the
championship I could win at Fenerbahçe. There was
the Turkish Cup final. So I was just trying to keep my mind and body on the field. But when I went on holiday,
I had to choose a place. When my dad called, he said
Madrid wanted you, I was very excited, very happy. It was a bit early for me.
That's why I was so excited. What was the most important thing
that made you choose Real Madrid? Firstly, since childhood,
I think the dream of many children is to play for Real Madrid,
which is the biggest club in the world. Of course, this is part
of our dreams and the project they offered me
was a long-term project. I was convinced of that. As soon as we sat down with
Real Madrid at that table, it was over. I mean, I've been watching
their Tranings on Youtube. Now I train with them,
I exchange passes with them. Real Madrid said that I am
going to be heir of Modric, I was very impressed. Because he's
an incredible player. Still very good. It was a deal
as soon as I heard it. You also get mentoring from Kross and Modric within the team. As far as I know.
-They're always helpful. Because of my character, I am a
child who always tries to get something from everyone, small or whatever
try to get from some experience from whomever I can. I ask them a lot of questions
all the time. How do you do that? How do you do it? I'm trying to learn
as much as I can. How was the first time you met?
With Modric and Kroos? I was excited and it was a
bit of an interesting moment. When I went to the dressing
room, they were there. Because on our first day
they came for another test. It was very exciting, that first moment. Do you have in mind what
you said, what they said? "Nice to meet you" and that's it. We'll talk a lot about Real Madrid. We are here today to talk about Arda
Güler of Real Madrid, who the whole world is after, not only the Spanish press or the Turkish press, the English press. The whole world wants to interview you. We will talk a lot about Real Madrid
at Kafa Sports, but I have a few questions about
the process until you got here. A lot of clubs wanted you
during this whole transfer period. Among all the options,
there was also the option to stay at Fenerbahçe
for one more year. How did you decide? As I said before, I only
focused on football, there was actually not a very
long time for me to decide. The moment we heard the name
Real Madrid, the decision was already made. And with the plan they told
us, the decision was to go to Real Madrid. I could have stayed at Fenerbahçe for
one more year, but I wanted to show what a Turkish
youngster from Fenerbahçe can do in Europe,
especially at Real Madrid. Hopefully, I will continue to show it. There was a lot of talk about
your transfer. It was said that Fenerbahçe could have made more money from the Arda
transfer. Was there such a possibility? I had a release clause. 15 million euros. I had a 17 and a half
million euro release clause. Actually, a team that paid 17 and a
half million euros could buy me directly. But me and my family continued negotiations
with Real Madrid until the last moment so that
Fenerbahçe could earn more money. We insisted on give
more money to the club, it was the scenario where
the club could earn the most. Do you have any resentment
about that process? I have no hard feelings.
There are no resentments in the family. Maybe they were offended. Wish that I have stayed But as I said before, when such
an offer came, I wanted to try it. I remember Mr. President Ali Koç's
words about you in a press conference. He said Arda wanted to go to
Real Madrid, he didn't want to stay at Fenerbahçe. Do you have any resentment
towards Ali Koç? Or does Mr. President have any
resentment towards you? None. He was one of the first to call me
when I scored my first goal. I got injured. When I was going through difficult
times, we were talking all the time, and there is another special
situation between us and the president. My mum had an operation a year or
two ago. He was very helpful during the operation. Therefore, Ali Koç is a very
special name for our family. Fenerbahçe released farewell
videos for many departing players. Among them, you are one
of the most favourite names who went to one of the
biggest clubs in the world. No such video has been released
about you. Do you have any bitterness about this, any chip on your shoulder about
the way your farewell went? Of course I have a chip on my shoulder. Because everything happened so fast. I couldn't go to Samandıra, Dereağzı. I couldn't see my brothers and
friends, the staff I wanted to see. So there wasn't much time for the farewell video. Of course, everything could have
been better, but no hard feelings. Arda with this transfer issue is
what I read the most on twitter. News that your father got a
commission on your transfer. Did your father really ask for
a commission on your transfer? That's not possible. Maybe people don't know, but since
I was transferred from Fenerbahçe to Real Madrid, maybe people
don't know how these processes work profesionally. That's not possible. As I have just said, my father, me, my
family, everyone close to us, we have endeavoured until the last
moment so that Fenerbahçe could win as much as it
could. I mean, such a thing is not possible. In Türkiye, players from
Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Galatasaray
are usually kept at a distance by other
communities and fans as soon as they become a part
of these communities. On you there is no such a thing. You've never denied being a
Fenerbahçe fan. You always put the Fenerbahçe love
at the forefront since the beginning. We always knew you as Arda from
Fenerbahçe but you became the Fenerbahçe player
that everyone loved. How did you manage that? It's just that I had no such expectations. Because as you said, I'm a
Fenerbahçe fan, only a Fenerbahçe fan. But one of the biggest factors is
that the fans of their rival teams, the Turkish people support me and
that they have been able to come here. Because when I received that support, I really believed that I could
achieve something. Because everyone loved me so much. God bless them. I hope I will not let
their love go to waste. You realise that. For example,
when you scored, if I'm not mistaken it was in Celta Vigo. life stopped
in Türkiye Rather than being a fan,
I think we all see the Turkish flag. Playing on your chest and it
makes us very motivated, very proud. It certainly motivates me a lot here. Because I am the only Turkish
player and the support of all Turkish people makes me very
happy and increases my strength here. So I make it with them. After all, when they're upset,
I'm upset too. When they rejoice with me,
I rejoice even more. It feels so good. The one that's affecting you so much. In the process when you came here,
as I mentioned before, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş,
Trabzonspor from Türkiye. Is there a moment when
such a reaction you received motivated you a lot,
maybe even touched you? Those who wish that says you hadn't gone. I see such crying videos. They make me emotional,
of course, but when I see those who are very supportive,
I feel very happy. Let's talk about Madrid welcoming you. That's a record-breaking transfer
post and a terrific reception. How did that make you feel? Of course, as it was my first
transfer, I felt incredible feelings. From the moment I got
off the plane to the first training days, they
gave me great support. It had an incredible interaction
with the support of the Turkish people. Of course I was very happy. It's a very special feeling to be here. Because Real Madrid is
a club that can buy every player in the world due
to its financial power. I'm very happy that they
chose me, I feel very special. What do you think is the biggest
difference between football here and football there? I think the pace and
the time the ball is on the pitch is already
in the news every day. And the derbies in Türkiye. In the matches here,
the more the ball is on the pitch, the more people run,
the more tempo is created in the game. I think that's the biggest factor. When you came here, what
was the most important area that you saw that you
needed to improve individually? Adaptation, I think. Because the most
important thing is adaptation. I also had to adapt to social life. Of course, on the pitch is one thing,
but I also need to improve my Spanish. I think the most important thing, which needs to improve more
in the social field. -Can you speak English?
-Yes I can. Spanish people were not very good with
English. I've been here for 48 hours. From Spanish taxi drivers to everyone else, they don't like speaking English we had a hard time finding even
white-collar workers that speaks English. We went somewhere
for breakfast this morning. They told me that
this must be one of the best in Madrid where
you can have breakfast. I said they give this
information to tourists. It's not exclusive to Spaniards. There was no one who spoke English
and we had a breakfast of cruelty. It was very difficult to get along. Now I'm wondering about you.
You live here, for example. Do they speak Spanish on the
premises? How are you doing with the Spanish? Everyone speaks Spanish. I had a hard time in the
first training sessions. The Coach explains in Spanish,
the interpreter explains in Spanish. The whole crew speaks Spanish.
No interpreter. It's very difficult at first,
but it's actually a good thing to be like this... Of course, it was a bigger
factor in me learning Spanish. I can learn more this way. Now what is your level? I can understand a lot of things now. Of course, I have more difficulty in
speaking, but the lessons continue. I'll improve it more in the future. How much do you spend
on Spanish lessons? I understand you're having
private lessons for a week. I have one hour of lessons
two days a week. What do you think is happening
in Türkiye that is not happening,
done wrong or incomplete? They take special care
of every player here. This plays a very big role
in my development. Because sometimes we can skip things. It is very normal in our country. They pay more special attention
to everyone and here in training I play against the best players in
the world, against the best defenders. Of course, this makes a great
contribution to my development. I've seen you physically quite different,
I mean, there is a serious physical development between
Arda in those images when we saw you off
in Türkiye and this Arda. Since my injury process was a bit long,
I had the chance to go more to Gym. Of course, I always need to
improve my physique more. I need to improve my physique
as much as I have done so far. It helped me a lot with the pace here. When I first arrived, there
were some adaptation problems and injuries
due to bad luck. But after that, when I get used to it,
it contributes a lot to my physical development because the
quality of training here is very high. In fact, I was working a lot in Türkiye. I've got a lot of people there put a lot of effort on me, too. I have always met very good instructors. I thank them too. Physically, there are
diffrences between the football played in Europe and the
football played in Türkiye. In other words, a player should not only
have talent and a mental perspective, but he should also physically transform
himself into a very high level athlete. In terms of playing
competitive football in Europe. Did you feel such a lack
when you first came here? I felt incomplete, which is normal. I came here when I was 18. The players here are incredible athletes. The players are incredibly
high level players. That's why I had adaptation problems.
And I take that as normal. After that, I started working even harder. Of course, there is a huge difference. Because the longer the ball
stays in play, the more the footballers have to run, the more
they have to engage in duelling. The more the tempo increases, the
more we need to develop endurance. When the ball stays on the
field, everyone can develop more. I can think more quickly before
contact, before the ball comes. I mean, as much as I actually
care about my physique, I sometimes think about how much I should
actually enter into a dual struggle. Because there is constant pressure
on the players around me and I can't get into a double dribble
every time there is pressure. I can think faster and improve
the team with single passes. You couldn't play for a
long time during that injury process, a process
that worried all of us in Türkiye, a
process that made us all very anxious, with a
very tense expectation. Because the decision was made to
operate. As far as I know, you've had the
operation. You went through a
rehabilitation process again. And I wonder about the follow-up to that. Don't you train well enough in Türkiye? I mean, when you get to this level,
do the players have a hard time? I shouldn't say that we don't
train well enough in Türkiye. We train according to the level of
Türkiye. Since the level here is
of course different, I of course had a lot of difficulty
since I came from Türkiye. It also caused my injuries I have to be honest here. That I had the operation. When we look at this time,
because I had a lot of difficulty in the first times, there were actually
some transfers between the halves. From the country to abroad, they also
had injury problems, which are very normal. You go to another country,
another game, another philosophy, sometimes some footballers may
have difficulties in adapting to these. This was the situation. It was told that Madrid will hire you. In fact, statements were made
about this, but I wonder what you experienced, what was
discussed, what did you think about this process? Do you think
the time given to you is enough? Of course he wants to stay in the game
every minute of the 90 minutes, but there are some things
in the philosophy of this club. They are preparing some
young players a little bit. Of course, I feel sad when I don't
play, but I do my best every day to play. We talked a lot with our Coach. I talked a lot before I came here. I asked about my concerns.
Can I play? About what it would be like
if I came here. He always told me his plans. This is one of the reasons why I came
because he offered me realistic plans. He said I'd play as long as I was ready. Just two or three days
ago we talked again about whether I would
play or not, because he is in constant contact with me, he keeps telling me that I see
how good you are in training. Because I'm very serious,
I work hard in training. I also want to show the coach to
play more. Which is normal. He also said that he sees
me better, he also says that I will have more chances
than two or three months ago. Towards the end of the league,
I also believe in him, we continue. Tell us about your goal. You dribbled the goalkeeper. Thank God, I've been
waiting for a long time. Because when I scored, everything
stopped for a few seconds for me. I was very surprised, actually. In other words, it was
something I was waiting for, something I wanted, something
I wanted for a very long time. I'm a player who likes
to take responsibility. I'm a risk-taking player. I love to take risks and
responsibilities both because of my position and because
of my player characteristics and I try to make the most
of every moment I am on the pitch and I want to enjoy all of those moments. Because these moments, the goals I
score, the goals I miss, every moment I am on the field, I am living my
childhood dreams, I am living them. Actually, I want to enjoy them. How would I describe that
goal if you were describing it? You tell me.
I couldn't tell. I don't know how to explain it,
it was so nice. Would you have dribbled the goalkeeper
again? I don't know, but I would
have dribble him away. I'd dribble him away because
I'd feel more comfortable. Because it was closing
the angle a little bit. I wanted to shoot
bypassing the goalkeeper. Of course it's risky. That's how I felt I missed a moment. Thank God it was a good hit. You scored your first goal for Real Madrid and made a goal celebration Everyone is wondering what that goal celebration means It's probably something
you've planned in advance that has a meaning as far as I know. Tell us
What does that goal celebration say? It's something I planned ahead. My goal celebration is
based on trust in god. I believe everything comes from God. There may be some injuries
that I see as bad, but I believe that as long as I continue to work
hard, everything will be very good. I'm trying to do everything the right way. I work hard every day. I leave the rest to God. This is the meanig of
this goal celebration. What happened in the
dressing room, what was said. Everyone congratulated me. Because everyone saw how
difficult a process I went through. And in that process, everyone
saw how hard I worked to score the first goal in order
to be a part of this team. Tell me about the Osasuna
game, after the ball hit the post. What happened in Arda Guler's mind a second later? I was shocked. I mean, I was in shock. I mean, I was expecting a goal. Because I observed the
goalkeeper on the bench. He was leading the goalkeeper. Even when he came into the
game, our goalkeeper coach said that this goalkeeper is playing in
front, if you see him, shoot. So I took the ball, the
goalkeeper was in front, I hit When it turn the post,
I feel sad even when I'm talking about it. I was shocked, I mean, I was really upset. When you scored the goal
in the Celta Vigo match, the whole team was as happy as if a Real Madrid player of 40 years had
scored a goal and the coach was happy. Rüdiger came from there,
the whole team turned your goal into an incredible
communal celebration. It's an incredibly beautiful camaraderie,
achieved in a very short time. How did you achieve this feeling? I don't know. I didn't expect anything
like this. When I scored a goal... Vinicius was on the bench,
he was there, if I'm not mistaken. That's when the camera caught you.
He was shouting Arda from there. I was still in shock. I didn't really understand what
happened during the goal celebration, but when I watched the videos,
I realised that they really loved me too. Who are your best friends in the team? I'm on good terms with everyone.
Like you said. Because there is a very good
camaraderie and family atmosphere. Brahim Diaz, Valverde, Courtois, Alaba. I spend more time with them. I am trying to teach a little Turkish. Because they're funny,
I spend more time with them. I don't know if I'm wrong, but the look
of love Rüdiger gave you for your goal. Rüdiger is also one of them.
He's also trying to support me. He hits everyone in the back, in the
head, no matter who scores. He's a bit crazy. Let's talk about a bit
of Europe championship. Okay let's talk. What happened to our
national team in the last match? Its a tiny problem, I hope this will not
happen at the European Championship. We'll be better prepared. I believe in my team, the coach, everyone. Because there is a very good generation. There is also a very good
friendship group there. I believe we'll do our best. I believe that we will repeat very good
achievements to the Turkish people. We have excellent opponents Portugal may be one of the
favourites of the championship, but as, I said before, I believe in our team
play and our quality of players. I think we'll do our best
and go as far as we can. The last six goals we
conceded in the last match were very
disappointing for all of us. Because there was a national
team that was doing very well. I don't know if the football climate in Türkiye has affected you or what? A little bit, actually the game was apperent in the first half, It was a bit unlucky, we conceded
goals, we lost a little bit of the track in the game The opponent played really well. I hope this will never happen again. Semih, Kenan, Can. Can,
I'm not sure if Can was in it, You guys are U17 teammates, right?
-Yes, Can is one of them. We were having camps and playing
games together in the U17 national team. We all dreamed of playing
for the A national team. We're all there now. They are also doing very
successful things with their clubs. I hope their path and fortune
will be good. Hopefully, a very good
generation is waiting for us. How is the motivation
in the national team? At the moment, despite the disappointing
score in the last match, how was your concentration as a group of
players for the European Championship? What do you and team talk about? I think it has increased our
concentration even more. I think our concentration has increased even more because maybe we are a little bit complacent due to the fact that we are doing a little bit well. But our captain is also an outstanding captain, Hakan talks to us all the time, So that we can be motivated better. Because he's very experienced. We listen to him, we listen to our Coach. I think everything's gonna
work out great for us. What is your dream for
the European Championship? What kind of tournament do you expect? I always believe that the
more success we can achieve with the national team,
the more we can achieve. Because we have a very good
generation, we have a good coach and we have created a
very good family environment in the group there and We are quality players, I think our people should believe in us. I hope we can give them
a very good tournament. Because we all want to be
very happy, hopefully we can repeat the successes that
have already been repeated. Do you guys talk among yourselves? So that U17 team brought Kenan and
Can, Semih together, and Semih joined the team. It never happened fully, but we
think he will. That's what we see. What are you guys talking about? For example, in the last
A National Team camp, we were called to the A National Team
together for the first time. When the four of us are together
like this, of course there are interesting moments. Because, as I said, two or three
years ago, we were all together in a place that we all dreamed of, and I hope it contributes a lot.
We'll try to contribute. -Do you keep up with Turkish Leauge?
-Yes, I do. How do you evaluate these
last 6 months in Turkish football, the last 6 months without you? Of course it is sad. Because our people,
our country deserve better things, so that when bad things happen
there, they make fun of me here. Of course they're joking around, but as I said
Turkish people deserve to be happier. If we remembered for achievements, of course it would be better for our
country. I try to watch all the matches. I watch all Fenerbahçe matches. I think things could go even better there. Who is your favourite
footballer in the Turkish League? Let me ask you a tricky
question, by the way. Oh my. Ferdi. Ferdi, I really like Ferdi. Ferdi is being followed by the
whole of European football this year. They have incredible demands. I hope everything will be
best for him, he is a good guy. He works hard, I hope
all success will be his. What do you miss the most in Türkiye? I miss the food. The food is good here too,
but Turkish food is different. The comfort zone, there is different. That's nation, homeland,
that's different. We miss it. Which food you missed most? Most of all we miss all our mum's food.
-Your mum is here? My mum's here, sometimes here, and it's
not the same as mum's food in Türkiye. The dried beans and
Turkish ravioli we eat here are not the same with the
things I eat in Türkiye. I'm trying to adapt here, but
the food there is very good. I guess you go back
and forth on your holidays. I mean, time off.
That's like twice a year. There's very little time off. Because it is 1-2 days, I couldn't go to Turkey frequently I have only been to
national team camps, but I want to go when
I have the opportunity. Do you do it when you
come to national team camps? Do you do some cheat days? I don't do it, but I am very
careful because there are matches. But hopefully I do it someday. I see your physical motivation
is at a very high level. Is this the Real Madrid effect? It's not the Real effect. I was like
this when I was little, thank God. I have a very good family.
They told me to not compromise my character. I had some those
who helped me a lot. I have always tried to
be disciplined since I was little and my mindset is
always, every day, better. My motivation is high because I think
about what I can do, how I can improve myself more. When times are hard, hard
times will come in the way. There may be more difficult
times ahead, but that's how I see it. For example, you play
for a team that aims to win the championship and
the Champions League every year. In other words, the bar
is at such a place that it sets out with the goal of
being the best in everything. Does this put pressure
on you as a player? I don't think it puts any pressure on us. Because this is Real Madrid. Everyone is aware of
this, so they come here. Everyone is here because we know we
can do something about this pressure. Because there's a lot of qualified players
and I think the pressure motivates us. I can say that about the
other players as well as myself. It motivates us, it fuels our ambition. I'm looking at your Real Madrid team-
mates. Vinicius, Modric, Bellingham. Rüdiger, Rodrigo, I mean, you name it. It's that kind of team. Even in a training match, you play
with the best players in the world. I mean, they're your rivals,
or they're your teammates. Probably even Madrid's training sessions, the training sessions that I would want to pay the most money to pay the most money to watch if they were sold by tickets. What kind of atmosphere is this? The players want to win
in the Champions League. I'd say they had the same ambition
to win in the practice match that day. What’ happening here is something I've never seen before. The fact that they go to every training
session with the same concentration and discipline is something
I have learnt here and this helps me to
improve myself even more. They have an incredible character. They never accept defeat.
They are very ambitious, very motivated. Every day they want more from
themselves and their teammates. And I feel happy that I started to
get used to this pressure at this age. How does it feel to go out
on the Bernabéu Stadium? Incredible feeling. It's a huge stadium. So many people come,
we feel like we're on a show. I also feel the culture of winning,
the voice that we have to win. We all get a bit excited
when we go out on the field. It's just important to manage
the excitement and stress. I hope I can manage
I hope I can be even more calm. Because when we are calm, we
can see more things on the field. Of course, sometimes there
are moments when we get excited. We are human after all. Can you please tell me a
bit about the Spanish people, Madrid fans and even the city of Madrid. It's beautiful. But I didn't
have the opportunity to sightseeing the city a lot due to training, matches and rest periods. But the food is good here too,
the people are good, there is a friendly atmosphere
here and they like Turks too. They love me very much. We took
photos when I walk outside. They're always very polite,
very respectful. What do you hear the most? They say "Turco" the most,
they say "Turkish". That's what they call me the most. They tell me they love
Türkiye and they love me too. And there's a siesta culture here. Since you asked about
Madrid, I like it a lot. At noon some shop owners close
their shops and go to sleep. The footballers also sleep some
afternoons. I think it's very pleasant, very restful. Siesta is one of my favourite
things about Madrid. Why don't you tell about Madridistas? You are used to having bigger
fans and a bigger community from Fenerbahçe fans, but
this is another dimension. As I said before, it's a stadium
with an incredible capacity. There are a lot of fans and
those fans are passionate. The fans always want to win. They have no tolerance for losing,
losing points or losing matches. They don't tolerate bad play,
which pushes us to get better every day, which creates incredible
pressure. But when we know this pressure,
better things always come out. How is life in Spain? When we compare it with Türkiye,
you mentioned the food a little while ago, You said you
are looking for the food in Türkiye. Do you have a particular dish? Is Turkish ravioli your favourite? I like every dish. But is there no favourite?
Should we ask your mum? If we ask mum, she'll
say she'll cook anything. I love everything my mum makes. I like Turkish ravioli, I like rice,
I like everything. I put the food away. What has been the most
challenging part of your life in Spain? The language at first. Because everyone speaks
Spanish and they don't speak English. I had a hard time especially in training. They might not speak English even
though they know English, you know? -Sometimes it felt a bit like that.
Cause it kind of felt like that to me, you know. They like their language a little bit too much, I think that’s normal This is going to push me to learn Spanish a little faster. What about city life?
Is the traffic more comfortable when you look at it compared to
Istanbul? Since everyone is already
talking within the team, a lot of players are talking
about Istanbul traffic. They had a hard time
when they came to Istanbul. There is no such problem here. You recently shot a video with Alaba. Austrian Alaba speaks Turkish with you. After I played the Austrian
national team match, he was in Austria and
we flew back together. We chatted a lot. He's a very nice guy, too.
He's always trying to help me. He grew up in Austria in a neighbourhood
where there were many Turks. Because there are too many Turks. Even more, he is fan of Galatasaray. He even jokes around with me.
I'm fan of Galatasaray, you are a Fenerbahçe fan. Sometimes I try to teach him Turkish. Because he is very sincere,
warm-blooded, very pleasant. I think you've taught
Rüdiger some Turkish. Rüdiger too, he already
knows a bit by Germany. When I came to the dressing room, everyone knows the Turkish swear
words. Did they learned it intentionaly? They learnt a lot of Turkish swear words. They call me "Abi". -Do they call you "Abi"?
-Yes, they do call me "Arda Abi". -Do they call you as "Abi"?
-Yes they call me so. Everybody's like, "Abi, abi, abi, abi"
They call the youngest member of the team "Abi"? I am also surprised when
Modric says me "Abi", it is interesting because they don't know what "Abi" means. I sometimes call them "Abi" Because I'm not used to calling them
by their names. I mean, I don't say Luca only
I call him "Luca Abi" sometimes. He says it's for me, he's comfortable. In his own language. Have you talked about it? Does Modric knows what "Luca Abi" means? He knows. He knows it's said to people
older than self, but they call me "Abi" too. I guess they like me, they
call me "Abi" all the time. -Do you call Kross as "Tony Abi"?
-Yes I do call him as "Tony Abi". I can't bring myself to call him Tony.
How old is this guy? So in our culture this shows respect
That's how I grew up, out of respect that’s why I feel like I'm being disrespectful when I call them by their names. Actually, they don't think so,
but I express myself more easily when I call them "Abi". What kind of music do you like? I listen to Turkish pop, I listen to
Sezen Aksu, I love listening to the 90s. I listen to everything. What is your favourite
Sezen Aksu song? I love "Tükenecegiz" very much. I love the song "Doymadım doyamadım” so much. Always the sad songs? Anyway I love them. I don't know, I love it
Our culture is a bit like that, we come from that culture. I love Sezen Aksu songs so much.
-Can you mumble a bit? Oh no, come on, don't do this to me.
Don't do it to me Do you have a bad voice? It must be bad. I have no confidence in my voice. Can you tell us about your daily routine? I wake up in the morning, there is a chef in our house. Thanks to him, he helps me a lot. About how I should eat. They're working with a dietician. They're in constant contact. He prepares my breakfast,
I have my breakfast, I go to training I go to gym, I receive treatment,
we train. I try to use everything in the facilities there as much as possible in a useful way. Cold water, hot water, sauna. I try to utilise it. When I get home, I have lunch
and then, as I just said, I love siesta culture. I switch off the lights in the room and have a siesta.
It's a lot of fun. Time goes by and it’s already evening
there's probably only one match. I'm watching the game
with my family at dinner. Sometimes they want to watch
something else. We watch TV series, films
But usually we watch the games. And then the day is already over, I'm going to asleep that’s all. I don't do a lot of activities. I know the coach was very
keen to bring you to the Madrid. How are things with your Coach?
-We're very good. Like you said. He called me three times before I came. He asked me to promise. He set a date, "This is when you'll be here." He loves me very much. And I treat him with the utmost respect. We are in constant communication. In general, our
communication is about how I can play more,
how I can improve myself more. Because every player
wants to play a lot, and I am one of those players
who want to play a lot. The coach and I talk about it
all the time. He's giving me some advice. We continue patiently. Arda, you said you
are taking Spanish lessons if I told you that there is a message
in Spanish for Real Madrid fans, would you look at
the camera and give a message? Hello Madridistas,
thanks a lot for your love and support. What did you said? Hello Madridistas, Madrid fans
thanks a lot for your love and support. That's a good,
did you just tought to say it? The first thing that came to my mind to say. Very nice, congratulations. Arda, when did you start football from
the very beginning, I'm not talking about professional, amateur career, where did you first start football
on the street? I started in Ankara. I used to play matches with my dad
all the time, and then he would sign up for clubs. Then I joined the Gençlerbirligi
Academy. They had a great influence
on me at Gençlerbirligi club. Because I think I received a
very good infrastructure training. After that, I joined the
Fenerbahçe Academy. Who first told you that this kid would be
a great football player? Is it your dad? Probably my father. Do you remember,
how old were you? They keep putting balloons in front
of me. When I don't even know how to talk, I mean, I can barely walk.
He always wants me to be left-footed. My father always put the
balloon on my left side and I hit it with my right foot and he
put it on the left side again. I don't know but I guess
he is the first one to say that. There are thousands of young people
in Türkiye who want to be Arda Güler. Interested in football,
wanting to be a footballer, who dream of becoming a footballer. And the path you're
blazing now, in 19 years old, it's a great hope for them. What would you say if I asked
you to give them a message? I have dedicated my achievements, this career path to them I continue to work hard
to show what they can do. They should also work hard because
there are very talented children, very intelligent children. I see kids playing football on the street. I think we are a very talented country. If they continue to
work hard, if they always pursue their dreams,
their belief in their dreams will never diminish,
even in difficult days and bad days, even on days
when they feel inadequate, I think everyone can succeed,
everyone can do what they want. I hope they'll have good luck, too. They'd work hard. What would be your first advice to
those who want to be Arda Güler? To work hard? Hard work. Because we always talk about talent or hard work. I was born with talent, thank God. But I wouldn't have got this far if I hadn't worked so hard.
May they always keep working hard. They should always think about, how much more they can improve themselves every day. What are you dreaming of right now? My dream is to be the first Turkish
footballer to win the Champions League. In other words, I want to be the first Turkish player to touch the Champions League trophy on that flag.
That's my dream -And after that?
-After is later. We are slowly coming
to the end of the interview. This is actually your
first interview, isn't it? It is the first.
My first one-on-one interview. -How do you find your own interview performance?
-I don't know. Shall I tell you a bit?
It's nothing like a first interview. I would have expected you to be a lot more shy. We had a chat, like a normal chat.
-Thanks to your sincerity. People in Türkiye love you very
much, you know it, you see it. It makes me very happy. This state of millions of people
being one heart makes me very happy. Football was never supposed to be like this. There was an area where we differentiated in Türkiye That's not how it should be. Lefter's, Metin Oktay's, Baba Hakkı's. They are not the values of the
clubs, they are the values of Türkiye. Happily, a 19-year-old
person is now taking very confident steps towards
becoming a value of Türkiye. In that sense, we are supporting you
with all our prayers and good intentions. I suppose you feel that, too. I feel it a lot. It's not pressurising at all. On the contrary, I am very happy,
I always want to make them very happy. Because they support me a lot. I continue to work harder every day
in order not to negate their support. Arda, thank you very much,
the first thing I told you was to see 15-year-old Arda at
Real Madrid at the age of 19... Like everyone else in Türkiye. But believe me, it's a little more
pride than a little extra for me. Because I thought it would be like this, I even looked at our conversations. I even wrote to you that "Arda, I feel that we will celebrate your much
greater achievements. I hope so." Today we are interviewing you in Real Madrid and celebrating your becoming a Turkish Real Madrid in the world-famous Real Madrid I'm sure there will be
better days in your career. I hope I can do those
interviews in those days. I thank you very much
and I wish you good luck. Thank you very much. And thank you very much for coming here too.
-Thank you. It's been very, very enjoyable. We had a very pleasant day with
your sincerity and good conversation. Thank you very much. We've come to the end of
our first broadcast on KAFA Sports. Thank you very much for watching us. I would like to take this opportunity
to make an announcement. We will be donating a portion of the
income from this interview to the Educational Volunteers Foundation
of Türkiye upon the request of Arda and his family. We would like to take this opportunity to
thank our sponsor, Arda's family and all our stakeholders who encouraged us to
make such a contribution in this process. With this information, we are coming to the end of our first
broadcast to Kafa Sports. You will see the most
colourful sports content in Türkiye and the world,
content that you will not see anywhere else
in Türkiye and the world like today's
interviews on Kafa Sports. Don't forget to subscribe. Thank you very much for following us. We wish everyone a happy and beautiful
day from Valdebebas from Spain. Goodbye. The quintessential celebration cake
Halley presented Kafa Sports Arda Güler Exclusive
Interview
