Softfootball can confirm The official X account of UEFA has announced Arda Guler as the first-ever winner of the UEFA Champions League Revelation of the Season award.
They posted:
🏆 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Revelation of the Season: Arda Güler 🇹🇷✨
The announcement comes alongside UEFA’s other end-of-season honours, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being named Champions League Player of the Season and also earning a place in UEFA’s 2025/26 Team of the Season.
The new award replaces UEFA’s Young Player of the Season prize and is designed to recognize young players who make significant and measurable progress during a single Champions League campaign.
Guler enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough season with Real Madrid, making 14 appearances and 13 starts in the 2025/26 competition. The Turkish midfielder accumulated 1,030 minutes, scoring two goals and providing four assists.
His development was evident when compared to the previous season. During the 2024/25 campaign, Guler started just one Champions League match, played only 142 minutes across seven appearances, and did not register a goal or assist.
UEFA’s Technical Observer Group selected the 21-year-old based on the award’s criteria, which include exceptional individual quality, measurable impact on team performance and significant progression relative to a player’s age.
For Guler, the award represents another major milestone in what has been his most influential season yet at Real Madrid, firmly establishing himself as one of European football’s brightest young talents.
