According to a report by Barca Universal on Friday October 23, 2026, Former Real Madrid midfielder Guti has sung praises of Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal ahead of Sunday’s El Clasico, hailing the teenager as one of the most important players in world football.

Despite backing his old team to win the encounter, the Spanish legend acknowledged the quality in Barcelona and warned Real Madrid against focusing solely on Yamal.

In an interview with SPORT, Guti spoke highly of the 19-year-old’s confidence and excellent displays. The ex-Real Madrid star feels that Yamal has turned out to be one of the most influential players in Barcelona and will be in contention for the game’s major individual awards in the near future.

Guti revealed that his loyalty to Real Madrid will not blind him from the fact that Yamal is a special talent. The former midfielder also suggested that the Barcelona attacker could win the Ballon d’Or if he continues delivering at the same level.

However, Guti added that Real Madrid should not focus too much on Yamal as they have other dangerous performers in attack including Fermin Lopez, Rodri and Raphinha.

The ex-Real Madrid star further claimed that the teams do not rely on one or two players and he believes that both sides have high quality squads in depth despite the Blaugrana’s defensive injury crisis ahead of the game.

When asked to predict the outcome of the game, Guti expected a goal fest and thought it would be a shame if there are fewer than ten shots on goal. He predicted a 4-2 win for Real Madrid but added that he expected Barcelona to win at home.

On the Ballon d’Or race, Guti revealed that he would love to see Kylian Mbappe win the prize. However, he felt the individual award is extremely open this season with Yamal, Rodri and Harry Kane also in contention.