Real Madrid Star Says He Didn’t Enjoy Lifting the Champions League Trophy Last Season
Real Madrid are the most decorated team in the history of the UEFA Champions League and have lifted the trophy a record 15 times. Their latest triumph came in 2023-24 as Carlo Ancelotti's side beat Borussia Dortmund in the final.
Los Blancos, however, were knocked out in the quarter-finals this year after losing 5-1 on aggregate to Arsenal. That doesn't take away from what the team have achieved historically in the UCL.
Winning the Champions League is often considered the most significant achievement for European clubs. Any player likes to get their hands on the trophy. However, Real Madrid prodigy Arda Guler has claimed that he didn't enjoy winning it last season as he wasn't too involved in the triumphant campaign.
Guler didn't make a single appearance in the UCL for Real Madrid last term. Reflecting on the campaign, the Turk told The Players' Tribune in a recent interview:
Being on the bench is not an easy situation. When we won the Champions League, I didn’t feel like lifting the trophy because I hadn’t contributed much on the pitch. That’s why I was so embarrassed when Ancelotti gave me the microphone at Cibeles . I had no intention of going up on the roof of the bus at all because I was very tired, and I remember two friends texting me: ‘Where are you? We can’t see you.’ I was downstairs talking to Kroos and Modrić, and Modrić was asking me if Mourinho was going to coach Fenerbahçe. My friends were like, ‘Are you crazy? You just won the Champions League! Go up and celebrate!’ But that’s who I am. It’s not enough for me to win a title. I have to feel like I’ve earned it. That’s why the Euros were different. When I scored against Georgia, my phone exploded. Likes. Followers. Messages. Congratulations. Crazy.Arda Guler
Guler, 20, though, is slowly settling into life as a Real Madrid player. The talented youngster has scored five goals and provided nine assists in 38 appearances across competitions this season.
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Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.