Guti Wants European Success

In a radio interview with Onda Madrid, Guti chatted about a wide range of topics, including his desire to put Los Merengues back amongst the elite of Europe.

It has now been five years since Real Madrid last managed to progress past the Round of 16 in the Champions League. And it is a thorn that is bugging not only the club hierarchy, but also the players… none more so than Guti.

“Last year was good, but we expect improvements this year,” he said in the interview. “We still have the same squad of players and we all know what we want to achieve."

“We must get a good start to the season so that we will be comfortable in the league and that will allow us to focus on Europe. We want to be one of the best four teams in the continent again, which is what Real Madrid deserves to be.”

The veteran playmaker then inevitably touched on the club’s transfer activities, especially those concerning the departures and one player who has been hitting the headlines lately in that department, Robinho.

“The squad tries to stay away from all the rumours of players leaving. Everyone likes to play for Real Madrid, but it can be difficult to make any progress in this team. It is sometimes better to leave and play elsewhere than to stay here and not play at all."

“But Robinho’s case is rather special. He feels happy at the club and the club also knows that he is a strong asset for the future and I believe all Madridistas want him to stay.”

Finally, the 31 year old club vice-captain voiced his joy about La Furia Roja’s triumph at Euro 2008.

“I think Spain surprised all of us. You never know what will happen in football but this young team had made us all proud and they will be very important in the World Cup. I would’ve enjoyed myself greatly on the team, but it wasn’t meant to be,” he concluded.