Arda Guler has left Cristiano Ronaldo in the dust by scoring a historic goal against Georgia for Turkey in a 3-1 win.
The 19-year-old arrived in Germany off the back of an injury-riddled debut season at Real Madrid, although he still made an impression.
Guler ended the campaign with six goals in 12 appearances, highlighting his potential.
And he has now taken to the international stage with Turkey, doing so with a match-winning performance, which saw him leave the pitch to a standing ovation.
During the first-half, his three chances created were the most out of any player on the pitch at a soaked Signal Iduna Park.
He also completed all 29 of his passes in the opening 45 minutes – the only player to achieve this feat – but his efforts in the second-half really show just why Madrid paid the reported €20million for him last summer.
With 65 minutes on the clock, Guler received the ball around 25 yards from goal and curled it into the top-left corner.
It’s arguably one of the best strikes any fan will have seen all year, and former England defender Alvin Martin has held it in high regard.
Speaking on commentary for talkSPORT, he said: “That right there is my goal of the tournament, you will not see a better goal.
“Left foot, 20 yards out, the moment it left his foot it was a goal of the highest order.”
“The more you look at it, the better it gets. The goalkeeper dives but he knows he’s not getting anywhere near it,” he later added.
Guler is now the youngest player to score on his European Championship debut, doing so aged 19 years and 114 days to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 19 years and 128 days in 2004 for Portugal against Greece.
Before the tournament kicked-off, European football expert Kevin Hatchard explained why he is a player to keep a close eye on: “Arda Guler is only 19, but he’s a lovely attacking midfielder for Turkey.
“He scored a brilliant goal against Wales and he’s somebody who was scoring goals for Real Madrid towards the end of this season.
“He missed a chunk of the season with injury but he’s a young player that plays with no fear, really good to watch, a great crosser of the ball with his left or his right foot.”
Turkey opened the scoring when Mert Muldur smashed a sweet volley into the top-right corner after 25 minutes.
Georgia equalised to score their first ever major tournament goal soon after but Guler’s ensured his side retook the lead.
The win for Turkey was sealed in the final moments of stoppage-time as Kerem Akturkoglu broke away from a Georgia corner and scored in an empty net to kickstart the celebrations.
But it’s Guler who will take the headlines following a Euros debut that will live long in the history of the competition.
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News Summary:
- Arda Guler smashes Cristiano Ronaldo record with wondergoal at Euro 2024
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