Real Madrid fans on X were left in awe after Arda Guler impressed on his long-awaited debut, with some claiming even he is already better than Lionel Messi.

Carlo Ancelotti and Co. signed Turkish starlet Arda Guler from Fenerbache over the summer for a reported fee of €20 million. Unfortunately, the 18-year-old’s season has been hindered by various injuries and he was unable to make his debut during the first half of the season.

Guler was included in the starting XI to face fourth-division side Arandina in their Copa del Rey Round of 32 clash away from home on Saturday, December 6. He impressed on debut, playing 59 minutes as Real Madrid defeated Arandina 3-1.

Guler looked lively on the ball and even struck the post with an excellent free-kick in the 18th minute. He completed 35 out of his attempted 39 passes with an accuracy of 90 percent, created two big chances, and won three duels.

A clip of Guler surfaced on X, of him producing a clever piece of skill to weave past the Arandina midfield. Fans got excited upon seeing this, with one posting:

“Arda Guler is better than Messi.”

Another fan wrote: “Everyone will see one day, he will be legend, he only need more chances”

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti also reserved words of praise for Guler, saying (via Managing Madrid):

“He played for an hour at a good level. Obviously he is not at the physical level. He showed his quality. He showed it in the first half. I said we have to be patient with him. He has personality, he has character. That’s good. He stands out for the quality he has with his feet, but character is also important to do well at Real Madrid.”

Los Blancos will next be back in action against Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final on Wednesday, January 10.