The former midfielder, speaking to Iker Casillas on his podcast Bajo los Palos, revisited a career defined as much by tension as by talent — a player who, by his own admission, split opinion everywhere he went.
"With Guti there was no middle ground," he said. "Either you loved him or you hated him. And that happened at the Bernabéu and at every ground I visited. Every time I stepped onto the pitch at the Bernabéu it felt like an exam. I remember plenty of whistles. And I remember moments when I confronted the crowd."
He was asked whether he would do the same again: "Yes. When I turned on people it was because they said things that should never be said."
The most pointed section of the interview concerned his relationship with Del Bosque, who he describes as his most difficult period at the club — despite holding genuine affection for him.
"Vicente Del Bosque was not fair with me," Guti said. "I love him dearly but I think in some things he was not fair. When he put me as a striker I scored goals and was important, and then the Champions League final came and he left me on the bench."
The two had clashed long before that. As a youth player, Guti walked out of training after being handed a substitute's bib when he felt he deserved to start. Del Bosque, then on the coaching staff, found him on the staircase and asked him to return. He refused.
"The truth is that Vicente put up with a lot from me because I was quite rebellious," he said. "I rebelled against things I felt were unjust."
The episode that has lingered longest is the arrival of Beckham in 2003. Luís Figo was already performing well on the right and was moved inside to accommodate the Englishman — into Guti's position.
"At Madrid, Figo was playing very well on the right wing, and they brought in Beckham, who also played in that position. Then they put Beckham as a central midfielder, which was where I was playing. What I mean is, the club did not trust me 100 percent."
He allowed himself one hypothetical.
"If I had been called Gutilović or Gutinho I would have earned a lot more money. If Madrid had signed me I probably would have played by decree, as some others did who weren't even playing well."
There was warmth too, particularly in the memory of spending his first professional wages on a car and a house for his parents: "They had spent their whole lives fighting for me. I had the great fortune to be able to do that for them."
On Real Madrid's academy, he was measured but critical. The club, he said, consistently looks outside rather than nurturing what it already has.
"I would love for there to be more players from the cantera. The truth is that Barcelona has often done it out of necessity, but even out of necessity they bet on their own players."
His final word was reserved for Arda Güler, the young Turkish midfielder now being compared to him by fans and media. The comparison, Guti said, is a warning — not a compliment.
"Hopefully he won't be like Guti. 'He has quality, the last pass, but…' That's what they said about Guti. This type of player at the Bernabéu is the most criticised when things aren't going well."