Remembering Guti's Incredible Backheel Assist For Zinedine Zidane

The Galacticos era at Real Madrid is best known for the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and David Beckham but one of its greatest moments was supplied by the relatively unheralded Guti.

Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop was left in a state of shock as his backline waved their arms in the air, appealing for an offside.

But it was never coming. Guti had perfectly split the entire defence in half for Zidane to fire home and make it 2-1.

It was a pass nobody on the pitch anticipated coming off, except for Guti and Zidane. Six Sevilla defenders instantly froze as they watched the ball trickle into the path of 'Zizou'.

The pure artistry on display shows why the academy graduate was regarded so highly in a team full of superstars.

Madrid went on to win the game 4-2 and Guti, real name José María Gutiérrez Hernández, managed to get on the scoresheet in his dominant performance.

But some players are worth more than the goals they score.

Guti, who made over 400 appearances for the club, recorded a number of silky smooth assists during his 24 year spell at the Bernabeu, including 'that' no-look backheel against Deportivo in 2010.

Like Zidane four years prior, Karim Benzema found himself free in the box thanks to 'the heel of God'.

Millions around the world expected him to take a shot against the onrushing Dani Aranzubia, but Guti instead fooled the goalkeeper - and all of us watching from home - by cutting the ball back with a sublime left heel.

It takes a special kind of talent to play his best football going backwards.

Tricks are often regarded as style over substance during an intense contest. But Guti laughs at those assertions.

He told El Pais per The Athletic: "I didn't backheel it for aesthetic reasons.

"I wanted the move to end with a goal, and I always look for the simplest possible option. In that moment, the backheel was the most practical thing to do. Football is better when you play with simplicity.

"That's the perfect portrait of me as a footballer."

Do you think Guti is one of the world's most underrated footballers?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit:

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a journalist for SPORTbible and he has previous experience with Manchester United. He has spoken to some of the biggest names in sport including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch, WWE COO Triple H and WWE legend The Undertaker. May or may not do a decent impression of Jamie Carragher.

@DanMarland_