After winning the 2023 Golden Boy award last week, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has named his Los Blancos teammate, Arda Guler, in a group of three as to who may be in contention to win the 2024 award next year.
When asked, Bellingham said about the former Fenerbahce attacker Guler: “He’s a phenomenon, we see him training and we’re delighted”.
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Arda Guler joined the 14-time European champions in the summer transfer window, a few weeks after Bellingham arrived from Borussia Dortmund.
Guler moved to the Bernabeu for a fee believed to be in the region of £17.2 million after an impressive start to his professional career in Istanbul.
The 18-year-old Ankara-born attacking midfielder scored nine goals in 51 appearances for Fener before his move and he has already scored for the Turkish national team, earning four caps for the Turks.
He has been struck with injuries throughout this season but is due to be back available in the second-half of the campaign ahead of Turkey’s involvement at UEFA EURO 2024, under the management of Vincenzo Montella.
Bellingham also picked out his former Borussia Dortmund teammate and compatriot, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, as a potential contender, too. He described him as a ‘top talent’.
The Real Madrid man, who has become their latest ‘galactico’, also picked out his brother, Jobe, currently in the Championship at Sunderland. Bellingham compared him to his dad saying he is ‘a thoroughbred striker like our father.’
Bellingham was awarded the Golden Boy trophy in Turin last week after an excellent 2023 in which he nearly led Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title before starting extraordinarily well at Real Madrid, putting in match-winning performances for Carlo Ancelotti’s La Liga leaders.
He has also shone for his national side with man of the match performances against Scotland and Italy in recent months with England one of the major favourites to win UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany next summer.