‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s road from gurney to success with Athletic Bilbao
Whenhe debut appearance the Athletic striker played in England, an young appearing for the youth squad against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in the 2015 season, he found the net. During his subsequent match he played in England, against Sunderland two months later, he scored. Another occasion, against the Citizens not long later, sure enough, he scored again. Upon his comeback to the northwest to face United at Leigh Sports Village in that year, he did it once more. It was a superb volley, too. “In fact,” he says, “it ranks among my finest I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did their duty: they took him off.
“I got well angry,” the forward says, then chuckling. “Probably there’s a recording. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the second half: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, it’s typical. I don’t know about Newcastle being interested, but I remember reading about Man United, standard transfer gossip. I’m not certain how true it was, but even if they had called, I would have wanted to stay at Athletic. I feel lucky to be here.”
Real Sociedad ease tension with bizarre win in unique Basque clash
At the facility, the Basque Country, the early training is set to begin; after it, the brief trip to the airport and another trip to England, now to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on the upcoming match. Just saying those two words makes Guruzeta smile. It has become a tough year for the club, due in part to the demands of competing at this level. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in European competition. Yet, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection about him.
In the three years since he had returned to the club, Gorka has been a final four contender in Europe, prevented from reaching the showpiece event by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary flanked by a million fans after winning the Copa del Rey, the team’s initial silverware in 40 years. Currently he stands as the club’s leading marksman in the Champions League, where they are unique and debuting in a long period. “This was beyond my dreams,” he states.
He considered it challenging enough just to earn a spot and he was right. As the child of the former Real Sociedad player his father and a dedicated fan at the opposition side, the forward is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that produced Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after making his senior debut in August 2018, he went through a serious knee problem, dropped, a demotion and a call back before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of the club’s history.
“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the top level but every phase you advance through you’re persisting and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … you’re sent away.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in a handful of matches between his bow and early 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches there and my knee gave way.
“A severe disappointment but I reflect on it as something positive because it made me change the perspective. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it aids growth. You adopt practices previously lacking. It’s not about neglect, but I would go to training and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, you have everything, so do everything. Practice, prevention. Strength training. With hip imbalance, address that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: do them.
“Among professionals you’re going to collide with opponents who have crashed into players 200,000 times. Extremely powerful. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. Injuries are inevitable. Current photos and the change is dramatic. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Teammates are set, really ready; you have to be too.”
Game time is essential. The striker moved upset in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, moving to a lower level. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he scored three times in numerous matches. At Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the he found his form. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. Should you reverse it, dedication, confidence, and when eventually a vacancy arises in your position, recall is possible. You have to be ready. When they decided to call again, a fantasy realized. Lifting the cup, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks appreciate the experience. Especially after last year which, at times, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
