Of course, you’ll be a proud man when you’re credited with discovering one of the most significant potentials in world football. That’s how Serhat Pekmezi feels.The Turkish football scout sat down with Marca journalists to discuss the most impactful discovery of his career – that of Arda Guller, the 18-year-old kid who’s just joined Real Madrid for $33 million from Pekmezi’s club Fenerbahce.The scout discovered a then-14-year-old Guler when he went to watch a U14 game between Osmanlispor and Genclerbirligi to follow another player. But the diminutive Arda, standing at 160 centimetres and weighing barely 46 kilos, caught the eye instead. The long-serving Fenerbahce scout couldn’t believe what he was watching.”Arda Guler didn’t play football – he danced with the ball! He had and still has the grace of a dancer. The first thing that caught my attention about Arda is that he always looks a lot at others before receiving the ball. That day he injured his left ankle midway through the second half but wanted to continue playing. After the game, I followed him off the pitch and realised he was in even more pain than before. It was then that I realised that he would be a star.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7365328##The scout was so impressed by Arda Guller’s talent and competitiveness that it was immediately clear to him that he had to sign this teenager to Fenerbahce, “Club president Ali Koc didn’t take me seriously, however. I didn’t give up, and I prepared a DVD with all his best plays. At the risk of losing my job, I gave it to his driver and begged him to show it to Koc.”Tears of pride and joy: Arda’s mom bursts into tears as he’s revealed as new Real Madrid playerArda signed for Fenerbahce – thanks to that video. Barely four years later he’s a Real Madrid player. Pekmezi listened to people comparing his boy to the great Lionel Messi over the past few months, but he doesn’t consider them similar players. “The new Messi? They are very different. Guler would say he is more of a mix between Los Blancos legend Guti and Luka Modric. He is very confident, has great ambition and can unlock games.”Arda Güler’s technical abilities are too good. pic.twitter.com/suTJiIp1w8— 𝙇𝘽𝙕 (@losblancoszone) July 10, 2023 On Arda’s potential role at Real Madrid, his discoverer also has clear ideas. “Real Madrid? It’s the right place at the right time for him. One day he will be the captain and the great pride of Turkey. No Turk has ever won the Champions League, but I think he will be the first. I hope I’ll be there at the stadium to see it. I just want him to be happy and learn something every day.”
