With his dream goal, Arda Güler didn’t just make Elche’s goalkeeper’s arms fly. The Real Madrid player, however, remained his usual reserved self.
Arda Güler hadn’t been on the field long when he saw that the goalkeeper was standing far outside his penalty area. From a tremendous distance, the Real Madrid player took a chance, struck the ball perfectly with his powerful left foot—and it hit the crossbar.
This happened almost exactly two years ago in Pamplona, when Real secured a 4-2 victory over Osasuna. Güler, who had scored his first goal for the Blancos six days earlier, took aim just past the halfway line, and even though the attempt narrowly missed, his teammates still had it fresh in their minds. “Against Osasuna, he hit the crossbar; today, he smashed it in. He has this wonderful shot… a dream goal,” explained Brahim Diaz.
This time, however, the distance was considerably greater. The 21-year-old had to cover 68 meters after intercepting a pass deep in his own half. Elche keeper Dituro raised his arms blindly as he sprinted back, but it was all for naught.
Güler did little more than raise his arms as well. A subdued celebration that his teammates didn’t seem eager to join. Güler must have felt like one of those tourist attractions that promises luck and wealth if you touch them. All the Madrid substitutes also jumped up and celebrated with the young Turk.
But many in the Bernabéu were doing something else with their arms. “I saw everyone clapping their hands over their heads,” said Álvaro Arbeloa, who apparently wasn’t even aware that he had done exactly the same thing. “It’s incredible to score a goal like that from 70 meters—it’s worth buying a ticket just for that.”
Eder Sarabia used the dream goal to declare himself a Güler fan. “I think he’s an outstanding player; I have a soft spot for him.” Of course, the Elche coach also had “mixed feelings.” “We lost the ball way too early due to an unnecessary move, and then one of the best in the world shows up. Several teams have already scored dream goals against us—we’ve just had some bad luck.”
In Spain, they’re already eyeing the Puskas Award for Güler, which will be presented at a FIFA gala at the end of the year for the most beautiful goal of the year. The Turkish player prefers to be more reserved, as evidenced by his rather matter-of-fact comment after his stroke of genius. “I’m very happy. I looked at the goalkeeper and he wasn’t in a good position. Then I gave it a try—and it was a dream goal,” said Güler.
