Arda Güler and Dominik Szoboszlai faced each other with their national teams. The two stars clashed on the pitch - and continued the feud on social media after the game.
Hungary and Turkey faced each other in the Nations League play-off relegation. The Turks won 3:1 in Istanbul on Thursday, and coach Vincenzo Montella's team also came out on top in the second leg on Sunday with a 3:0 victory.
However, the private duel between Turkey's Arda Güler and Hungary's Dominik Szoboszlai is more talked about than Turkey's promotion to the A-League. The two footballers and their teams met a year ago in a test match - and apparently didn't get on too well.
When Liverpool star Szoboszlai committed a foul on Real professional Güler in the early stages of the match, tempers flared. Güler puts his index finger to his mouth and tells the Hungarian captain to be quiet. Szoboszlai laughs derisively at the action.
Szoboszlai provokes Güler - Turkish top talent counters
Even after the 3:0 defeat in Budapest, the 24-year-old was quick-tongued and commented on a photo on the NSO portal of the scene with "1088". The former Leipzig professional is alluding to the number of minutes Güler has played on the pitch at Real Madrid.
The now 20-year-old moved to the Whites from Fenerbahçe in the summer of 2023 for a basic transfer fee of €20 million. The creative midfielder is regarded as an exceptional talent in Turkey and put in some great performances at the European Championships, but things have not gone according to plan for him under Real coach Carlo Ancelotti so far.
At least Güler scored against Hungary. And after the game, he also showed that he can attack. The result post on his Instagram stroy has been changed. The Hungarian scorer's page now reads "Szoboszlai 1 Instagram Comment". He also writes: "This guy is a joke. Are six goals still not enough to be calm? 🤫"
The public will soon find out whether the Instagram spat between the two squabblers will continue. One thing is clear: at least in sporting terms, Güler and his team were ahead.
