Haiti Coach: Güler is Immensely Talented and Will Be Real Madrid's Midfield Core in the Future

According to Spanish media outlet AS, Haiti national team head coach David Badia Cequier was interviewed to discuss Güler's development and his potential future role at Real Madrid.

Badia's career path demonstrates his expertise in player development. He began his professional career at Barcelona before moving to Turkey, where he became instrumental in building a football system that is now producing results. After roles in Poland and Cyprus, Badia took charge of the Haiti national team, leading them to three consecutive victories and transforming the team's fortunes.

In an interview with AS, the Catalan coach discussed why Haiti interested him and shared his experience developing young players, specifically mentioning Darwin Núñez and Güler. Güler's story particularly captured the interviewer's attention.

The interviewer asked how a Spanish youth development director became Güler's mentor—particularly given that Güler was already regarded as a prodigy, yet no major club had fully committed to him.

Badia explained: "When we signed Güler, he was already well-known in Turkey. When we brought him to Fenerbahçe, people were already talking about this 13-year-old who played exceptionally well. Every year at the end of the season, Antalya hosted a U13 tournament featuring the best teams in the region, since children his age still played in regional leagues. That tournament is where he became more widely recognized.

We were also fortunate that his room was filled with Fenerbahçe flags and scarves since childhood. So it was clear he wouldn't join Galatasaray! Bringing him in wasn't difficult." Thus began a new chapter for Güler. He left his hometown behind, carrying a dream supported by exceptional talent.

The young player from Ankara moved into the dormitories at the sports city and began laying the foundations for becoming a world-class star—a process that continues today.

Badia recalled: "He came from Ankara and lived in the dorms at the sports city. He was a different kind of player. Before he arrived, he was clearly the best among his peers. After joining Fenerbahçe, he had to adapt to the pace of a major club's youth academy, but for him, skills like dribbling, movement, and turning came naturally."

Güler possesses diverse and outstanding football abilities, making him one of the most complete midfielders today. The left-footed player from Ankara can play multiple positions and handle nearly all responsibilities—from building play from the back to connecting attacks.

However, a longstanding debate persists: should Real Madrid entrust him with controlling the team's rhythm, making him the core of the transition from defense to attack and midfield operations, potentially underutilizing his excellent goal-scoring instincts in the penalty area?

Badia revealed that Güler had already played the creative defensive midfield role that Real Madrid now seeks when he first joined Fenerbahçe. He said: "When he first arrived at Fenerbahçe, he played as a 'number 4' in front of the defense, not as a 'number 8' or 'number 10.' He was a creative player, not simply someone who delivered the final pass. Of course, he always possessed the ability to carry the ball forward and join attacks.

At that time, we carefully designed training methods within our system to integrate these exceptional players more effectively into the team. He responded very well to this approach." Güler then became instrumental in breaking the opposition's first line of pressure, demonstrating the qualities that define elite players.

Under Badia's guidance, Fenerbahçe developed a strategy to maximize Güler's potential in matches, placing him in a special developmental category.

Badia explained: "Different age groups do rotate positions. After Güler joined our core football system, we implemented a more refined development approach, surrounding talented players like him with teammates who would best facilitate their growth. We paired him with fast players who could exploit his through-ball passes and with link-up specialists to support ball movement.

It wasn't an overly complex strategy, but we invested significant effort in it, aiming to maximize our academy's potential. Güler belonged to a group we called 'PPP,' which stands for 'Potential Professional Players'—those most likely to pursue professional football in the future."

Today, Güler is a more mature player, and Badia is an even more experienced and respected coach. As Haiti's head coach, he oversees several players competing in major European leagues. Badia is convinced that given the right environment, Güler can become the playmaker who transforms Real Madrid's fortunes.

He stated: "If he has a defensive midfielder beside him to handle the defensive duties he finds more challenging, he can become the team's distributor from defense to attack. He can be an excellent midfielder across virtually every phase of play—can play as an 'number 8' to manage ball circulation, and can even play as an 'number 10,' delivering final passes to Vinicius and Mbappé. A player with his talent can shift multiple roles within a single match. We deliberately avoided positioning him on the wing because he possesses 360-degree spatial awareness. His strength has always been in central roles; when we deployed him in midfield, we could unlock his full potential.

I've always emphasized positioning him where he can influence play in all directions rather than confining him to the wing. On the wing, you're almost always forced to develop play forward."

Wherever he has gone, Güler has impressed with both his football abilities and character. From his introduction to the sport, he was a model player. Upon arriving at Fenerbahçe, he quickly earned the affection of the entire club staff.

Badia recalled his first impression of young Güler: "He was an exceptionally polite child, like something from a textbook. He always smiled, had a wonderful attitude, and greeted every staff member at the club. The values the club cultivates to shape players were very evident in him. He was completely different from the typical stereotype of a football prodigy. When you saw him, you'd think he could score perfectly on a mathematics exam. He's very intelligent, and you can tell his family provided him an excellent education." For Güler, who has established himself at the elite level, this foundation will propel him toward becoming Real Madrid's next world-class star.