Real Madrid star Arda Güler called Liverpool‘s Dominik Szoboszlai “a joke” on Monday after the pair clashed in the UEFA Nations League game between Turkey and Hungary.
Turkey beat Hungary 3-0 in Budapest — Güler scored the second goal — to claim a comfortable 6-1 aggregate win over two legs.
During the match at the Puskas arena, Güler was seen putting his finger to his lips in a “shhh” gesture aimed at Szoboszlai.
The Liverpool playmaker later commented “1088” on an Instagram post showing the incident from the Hungarian website nso.hu, a reference to the number of minutes Güler has played for Madrid this season.
Güler responded on Instragam on Monday, writing: “This guy is a joke. Isn’t six goals enough to shut you up?”
The caption was accompanied by a photo of Güler’s “shhh” gesture, and the 3-0 scoreline from the game, with the words “Szoboszlai, one Instagram comment” shown alongside the names of the three Turkish goalscorers.
Güler has made 31 appearances for Madrid in all competitions this season, but 21 of them have come as a substitute, often for just a few minutes each.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, published on Tuesday, Güler insisted that he is not considering departing Madrid this summer, after the LaLiga giants beat competition from a string of top clubs to sign him in July 2023.
“Real Madrid gave me a plan, and I still believe in it,” Güler said. “I’m sure I’ll succeed at Madrid, I’ve even bought a house in Madrid. I work hard and I’m always ready to play.
“I came to Real Madrid to play and be an important part of the team. And I won’t stop until I achieve that.”
Madrid still have a chance of winning three major trophies this season — they are second in LaLiga, in the Copa del Rey semifinals, and play Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals next month — having already lifted the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
