Real Madrid vs Juventus was far from a blockbuster, but strong performances from Militao, Asencio, and Fede — along with goal contributions from Jude (and maybe you should count Vini) — gave encouragement.
But there’s one big takeaway…
Arda Guler is a Midfielder
For all the concern around Arda Guler in big games, albeit a small sample size, he has been Madrid’s best player against Atletico and now Juve. As Managing Madrid’s Lucas Navarrette tweeted after the match, “This is the ultimate proof that Arda should never play RW ever again. Do what you have to do to make sure he’s a CM.”
His match was maybe best encapsalted by some statistics that the Spanish Twitter account Don Amancio provided:
Arda Guler delivered an all-around display today, registering 10 ball recoveries and 7 key passes.
He becomes the first player in Europe this season to record 7 or more key passes and 10 or more recoveries in the same match.
The last player to achieve such a feat was Isco, who posted 7 key passes and 11 recoveries for Real Betis against Fiorentina in the UEFA Conference League on May 8, 2025.
The last instance in the Champions League dates back more than five years, when Trent Alexander-Arnold registered 7 key passes and 13 recoveries in a 120-minute clash against Atlético Madrid on March 11, 2020.
The next big test comes on Sunday against Barcelona, where Arda is expected to once again be in the midfield alternating between a #6, a #8, and a #10 depending on what the game calls for.
