‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s road from injury table to scoring with the Basque club
Whenhe first time the Athletic striker played in England, an teenage representing the youth squad against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in the 2015 season, he scored. During his subsequent match he took the field in British turf, against the English side following that, he scored. His third outing, against Manchester City six weeks after that, indeed, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to the northwest to take on Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village in that year, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, too. “Actually,” he states, “it ranks among my finest I’ve ever scored.” Thus the club did what was necessary: they substituted him.
“I was furious,” the Athletic striker admits, and then he starts laughing. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I performed well. They kept me out of the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I was scoring goals, there were lots of rumours, it’s typical. I don’t know about Newcastle being interested, but I came across reports about Man United, standard transfer gossip. I’m not certain the validity, but even if they had called, I would have wanted to stay at the club. It’s a privilege.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At the training ground, Bilbao, the day’s first practice is ready to commence; post-session, the short journey to Loiu airport and a further journey to Britain, on this occasion to play Newcastle in the UCL on the upcoming match. Just saying those two words makes Guruzeta smile. This is proving a challenging campaign for the club, partially owing to the demands of their participation. Defeated late on in the derby on Saturday, they have won only one of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in Europe. However, look at the overall situation, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection within him.
In the three years since he had rejoined the team, Gorka has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway flanked by a huge crowd after securing the Spanish cup, the team’s initial silverware in a long wait. Now he is Athletic’s top scorer in the Champions League, where they are unique and debuting in ten years. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.
He considered it challenging enough just to break into the senior squad and his assessment was correct. Born to the ex-La Real star his father and a season ticket holder at the team he now opposes, Guruzeta is a graduate of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that developed the Arsenal manager, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at his teens but after his first-team bow in the 2018 season, he went through a torn cruciate, the cut, a drop in category and a return before he could truly get a chance, returning at 26 to experience the peak of his career.
“Joining the setup thinking you won’t reach the top level but every phase you go through you’re persisting and you can notice the proximity. You arrive and then … departure is necessary.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in a handful of matches between his debut and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches with them and my knee gave way.
“It was a huge blow but I reflect on it as a beneficial experience because it shifted the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is challenging, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices previously lacking. Previously I was casual, but I attended practice and then head home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, you have everything, so take full advantage. Work, precaution. Hit the weights. Should your hips be uneven, correct it. Assuming ankle mobility is good, enhance it further. Every small aspect: do them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles repeatedly. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: my physique was slight. Injuries are inevitable. Current photos and the improvement is clear. Injury made me see that. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Everyone else is ready, really ready; the same applies.”
Game time is essential. He left in tears in that year, at 23 years old, joining the second tier. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in 40 games. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the scoring picked up. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, work, believe, and if one day they need someone in your position, recall is possible. You have to be ready. Upon the recall, it was a dream come true. The trophy success, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Little surprise he states this is to be enjoyed. All the more so after the previous season which, sometimes, was about endurance. Previously the main threat with a high tally, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|