Guti announces Real Madrid departure
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Real Madrid midfielder Guti announced on Sunday that he was leaving the club to join Turkish side Besiktas.
The decision ends a career that has seen the 33-year-old spend 25 years at the club. He joined Real Madrid' s youth system as an eight-year-old and made his first team debut in the 1995-6 season, going on to make a total of 542 appearances and scoring 77 goals.
However, Guti has at times had a difficult relationship with the club and the fans and there is a feeling that for a player of his unquestioned talent, he should have achieved more.
The fact that he made only a total of 14 appearances for the Spain national team and failed to appear in any of the three Champions League finals Real Madrid played during his 15 seasons in the first team, shows that at times coaches have not trusted him to control his temper or to produce his best football under pressure.
Indeed former Real Madrid President, Ramon Calderon was probably not far off the mark two years ago when he described Guti as a ' 31-year-old promise.'
Last season he was again involved in controversy and was dropped from the Real Madrid side after allegedly insulting then coach Manuel Pellegrini following the club's humiliating Copa del Rey exit against third tier side Alcorcon.
This Sunday saw Real Madrid's Director of Sport, Jorge Valdano refer to Guti's 'cult status' at the club and it is true that few players have had the ability to hit as defense-splitting pass with the precision of the midfielder.
"My heart will always be with Real Madrid," said Guti at his farewell press conference, which was held in the press room at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. He will be reunited with another former Madrid coach, Bernd Schuster in his new club.
Meanwhile another legendary Real Madrid player, Raul Gonzalez, is expected to announce his departure from the club during the coming week.
