Liverpool & Real Madrid stars clash on and off the pitch during international break

Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid’s Arda Guler engaged in a spiky international break exchange which began on the pitch at Hungary’s Puskas Arena and bled into the realm of social media.

Szoboszlai’s Hungary side were beaten 3-0 by Turkiye in the second leg of their Nations League promotion-relegation play-off on Sunday night. The nation’s first home defeat since 2022 ensured that Turkiye relegated Hungary to the competition’s second tier while taking their place in League A.

Turkiye had earned a 3-1 win from the first leg in Istanbul which Guler was forced to watch from the sidelines while serving a suspension. However, the perpetual Real Madrid substitute started Sunday’s tie, scoring Turkiye’s second goal of the night just two minutes after Hakan Calhanoglu had broken the deadlock with a 37th-minute penalty.

Szoboszlai had given the ball away on the edge of Turkiye’s box in the buildup to Guler’s goal, inadvertently sparking a counter-attack which concluded with the waifish midfielder cooly picking out the bottom corner.

The pair exchanged words during the contest, with Guler placing a finger to his lips to silence his Liverpool counterpart. The Hungarian outlet Nemzeti Sports captured this exchange in an Instagram post. Szoboszlai’s official account commented on the image with just a single number, “1088”, which just so happens to be the exact amount of minutes Guler has played for Real Madrid this season.

The talented Turkish playmaker has been restricted to just six top-flight starts this season. Carlo Ancelotti’s repeated refusal to hand the 20-year-old more opportunities has prompted numerous rumours of a move away from the Spanish capital, with Inter recently cited as a potential destination.

Guler’s compatriot Calhanoglu is a regular for the Serie A giants and did nothing to dampen the transfer speculation this week. “I’d like him to come play with us,” the experienced midfielder admitted before noting: “Of course I want and believe he deserves to play more minutes.”

Szoboszlai, who is four years older than Guler, has amassed 2,887 minutes for Liverpool in what is shaping up to be his best campaign on Merseyside yet. The Reds are heavy favourites to win the Premier League title but are no longer in the Champions League, unlike Guler’s Real Madrid.

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