Krong Angkor

Guti backheel makes him World Cup material - Lotina

MADRID (AFP) - Guti showed he deserves a spot in Spain's World Cup squad with a sublime assist during Real Madrid's 3-1 win at Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, according to Deportivo coach Miguel Angel Lotina.

"After what I saw, Guti should take part in the World Cup," he said.

French striker Karim Benzema scored shortly before half-time during the match at Deportivo La Coruna?s Riazor stadium after Guti set him up with a cunning backheel following a pass from Kaka.

"I saw him (Benzema) out of the corner of my eye, the goalkeeper was coming towards me and I thought he had an easier chance. In football it is important to give the ball to a better placed colleague," Guti said after the match.

"I think we showed we're a great team. Despite all the injured players, the team has fought hard and showed what is needed to wear this shirt."

Guti's heroics during the match won him heaps of praise in the Spanish media on Sunday, just weeks after he appeared to be out of favour with Real coach Manuel Pellegrini.

"Guti's pass will be remembered 30 years from now. Football fans will remember it as a monument of class and creativity. And calmness and courage," wrote sports daily Marca.

"He dared pull out an unforgettable stroke of genius. He is a unique player built with the materials of geniuses. Few footballers in the history of Real Madrid have been more brilliant," it added.

Rival sports daily AS dubbed Guti's move the "golden heel flick".

"Football isn't about wearing down the opponent with shots, but rather about winning in style. Guti converted a play on goal into a piece of art," it said.

Top-selling daily El Pais called the move "a masterpiece of talent and generosity" while El Mundo dubbed Guti "the heel flick expert".

Guti, 33, did not play for over two months following a bust-up with Pellegrini during the club's embarrassing 4-0 Spanish Cup defeat against third-division side Alcorcon on October 27.

Both coach and player have always insisted his absence was down to injury and Guti criticised journalists who suggested otherwise during a tense press conference earlier this month.

He also suggested in a TV interview earlier this month that he would like to leave Real to play in another league amid reports of interest from Spanish and English clubs.

A product of Real's youth system and one of the longest-serving members of Real's squad, Guti last played for the Spanish national team in 2005.