Guti has stirred controversy by mocking Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or triumph for 2026, suggesting the Englishman's win was fixed from the off. The former Real Madrid star made clear he wasn't convinced by the result, tapping into a split in Spain over who deserved football's biggest individual prize.
Speaking on "El Chiringuito de Jugones", Guti called it a suspicious coincidence that the award had gone to a London resident, hinting that crowning the England striker had been planned all along.
"The Ballon d'Or went to London, and a resident of London won it," he said sarcastically. "What a coincidence, isn't it? It's a real coincidence! This was written from the start, most certainly."
He didn't stop there. Kane's face when the win was announced told its own story, Guti reckoned, suggesting the striker never expected to lift the award. The Englishman, he claimed, believed Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé would pip him to it.
Reaction to the result has been split. A section of fans in Spain wanted one of the summer's World Cup winners to take the prize, while some Real Madrid supporters had pinned their hopes on Mbappé rather than the English striker.