Midfielder Guti Departs Real Madrid for Besiktas

guti

 | Jul 28th, 2010 | by Editor

Spain international midfielder Guti has decided to part ways with Real Madrid after a 25 year association with one of Spain's most storied football clubs. The 33 year old first joined Real Madrid's youth team in 1985 and has gone on to make 542 appearances and score 86 goals while helping lead the club to five La Liga title and three UEFA Champions League titles.



Real Madrid has undergone drastic changes over the course of the past year. The club spent roughly $220 million during last summer's transfer window to bring in midfielders Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka in a bid to break Barcelona's grip on La Liga and return Madrid to prominence. Now this summer, manager Jose Mourinho moved from Italy's Inter Milan to Real Madrid. The landscape is changing in Madrid and Guti is not the only veteran departing the club.



The only current player to serve Madrid longer than Guti was striker Raul, who is also departing the club this week. Guti's decision to leave the club was his own and while he has no official deal lined up anywhere else, Guti is reportedly mulling an offer to join Turkish side Besiktas. When asked about his future plans, he remarked that "I have an interesting offer from Besiktas but I haven't decided yet. What I know for sure is that wherever I go I will give my best."



Should Guti decide to join the Turkish side, he will see a familiar face in the managerial post. German Bernd Schuster has taken over as manager at Besiktas. Schuster was the manager at Real Madrid during 2007 and 2008, meaning Guti should feel right at home in any system Schuster installs. While Besiktas is not on the level of Real Madrid, the club appears to be on the rise and made an impressive appearance in the UEFA Champions League. A veteran such as Guti could prove beneficial to a squad looking to compete on a grand stage.


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