Meaning behind Szoboszlai’s brutal response to Real Madrid star Arda Guler

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai appeared to let Hungary’s 3-0 defeat to Turkey get under his skin over the weekend, particularly after a gesture from Real Madrid starlet Arda Guler

Dominik Szoboszlai appeared to fire a subtle dig at Arda Guler after being shushed on the pitch by the Real Madrid star. The two came together on Sunday for Hungary’s UEFA Nations League playoff clash with Turkey in Budapest.

The visitors headed into the game with a 3-1 lead after the first-leg and ended up securing a comprehensive win after goals from Hakan Calhanoglu, Abdulkerim Bardakci and Guler. And the latter made sure to make one of his opponents know as the Real Madrid youngster shushed Liverpool star Szoboszlai.

An image of that exchange was shared by a Hungarian news outlet on Instagram, with Szoboszlai replying in brutal fashion. He wrote “1088” in reply, with that number the exact amount of minutes he has featured for Madrid in all competitions.

The 20-year-old joined Real Madrid from Turkish giants Fenerbahce in 2023 and despite having made 43 appearances for the Spanish club since, many of those outings have been from the bench. He has scored nine goals in that time.

Turkey boss Vincenzo Montello has already offered his take on Guler’s limited minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu and believes it is only a matter of time before the youngster establishes himself.

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“He is an exceptional footballer. We all know his talent and what he can contribute,” he said. “It is a well-known and generally accepted trend that players with consistent game time at their clubs are usually selected for the national team. However, we must take a more understanding approach with Arda Guler.”

Turkey teammate Calhanoglu took a slightly different approach, however, by urging Guler to sign for his current club team Inter Milan. “Arda is a very important player; he’s like a little brother whom I love very much. I would like him to come and play with us—at Inter—although I don’t know if this is true,” Çalhanoğlu said.

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“I don’t know what his situation is at Real Madrid, so I don’t want to get too involved in this situation because in the end, he knows more, although of course, I want and believe he deserves to play more minutes.”

Guler will hope to play a role for Real Madrid over the coming weeks as the Spanish side attempt to win La Liga and the Champions League. They will take on Arsenal in the quarter-finals next month.

Meanwhile, Szoboszlai will be forced to focus on Liverpool’s title charge with their next game coming against rivals Everton after the international break.

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