Arda Güler has been named UEFA’s 2025/26 Champions League Revelation of the Season following an impressive breakthrough campaign with Real Madrid.
The award, announced on Sunday by UEFA, replaces the Young Player of the Season accolade and is designed to recognise emerging talents who make a significant impact in the competition through progression, consistency and overall influence on their teams.
Güler, 21, enjoyed a remarkable rise during the 2025/26 campaign after playing only a limited role in the previous season. The Turkish international started just one match and made seven appearances overall in 2024/25, accumulating only 142 minutes of action.
In contrast, he featured in 14 Champions League matches this season, starting 13 and logging 1,030 minutes on the pitch.
According to UEFA, Güler finished the campaign with four assists and scored his first two Champions League goals, both of which came in Real Madrid’s quarter-final second-leg clash against Bayern Munich.
“The Turkish international ended the campaign with four assists together with his first two goals in the Champions League, which both came in Madrid’s quarter-final second leg at Bayern,” UEFA stated.
The midfielder also covered a total distance of 126.12 kilometres throughout the tournament and reached a top speed of 32.12 km/h.
UEFA explained that players must be aged 21 or younger at the start of the season to qualify for the award and can only win it once. Previous winners of the Young Player of the Season award are also ineligible.
The governing body said the winner is selected based on individual quality, measurable impact on team performance, as well as progression, maturity and consistency during the season.
Past recipients of the Young Player of the Season honour include Désiré Doué (2024/25), Jude Bellingham (2023/24), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (2022/23) and Vinícius Júnior (2021/22).
