Idman.biz
Turkish midfielder Arda Güler of Spanish football team Real Madrid has been named Breakthrough Player of the Season in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26.
Idman.Biz reports that the 21-year-old footballer was awarded this title by the UEFA Technical Observer Group. The new award is presented to young footballers who make a breakthrough in the tournament.
Güler has made significant progress in the Champions League compared to last season. While he only started once in the tournament in the 2024/25 season, he appeared in the starting lineup 13 times in the 2025/26 season. In total, the footballer has participated in 14 games this season. According to UEFA's official statistics, Arda Güler has been on the field for 1030 minutes in the tournament, scoring two goals and providing four assists.
UEFA has established this award instead of the previous "Young Player of the Season" nomination. The aim is not to distinguish young stars who are already known worldwide, but to highlight footballers who have shown great development over a season and have added stability to their game.
The Turkish national team member was particularly distinguished by his performance in the match against Juventus in the League stage. In that game, he stood out for his creativity and control of the game in midfield and was named the best footballer of the match.
Güler also remembered the season with his first two goals in the Champions League. Both goals were scored in the return leg of Real Madrid's quarter-final stage against Bayern.
It should be noted that nominees for the award must not be older than 21 at the beginning of the season. Each footballer can only win this award once in their career. Those who were selected as "Young Player of the Season" in previous years cannot participate in this nomination.
