‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s path from gurney to scoring with Athletic Bilbao
The debut appearance the Athletic striker competed in English soil, an teenage appearing for Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at Adams Park in September 2015, he found the net. On his next visit he played in England, against the English side weeks after, he netted. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team not long later, indeed, he scored again. When he returned to the northwest to face United at Leigh’s ground in the 2017 season, he scored again. A spectacular strike, too. “In fact,” he states, “it ranks among my finest I’ve ever scored.” So Athletic did what they had to do: they took him off.
“I got well angry,” the attacker admits, and then he starts laughing. “Probably there’s a recording. We traveled to face United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the second half: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I was scoring goals, many stories circulated, it’s typical. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I remember reading about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. It’s unclear if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at the club. I’m fortunate to be here.”
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At the training ground, Bilbao, the early training is ready to commence; following that, the short journey to the airport and a further journey to the UK, now to play Newcastle in the Champions League on the upcoming match. Mentioning that phrase makes Guruzeta smile. It’s turning out to be a tough year for the club, partially owing to the demands of being here. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have managed just one win of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund in the continental stage. But, consider the broader view, the big nights he has lived and upcoming events, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.
In the 36 months since he had rejoined the team, Gorka has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by the English giants, and has traveled on a traditional boat along the Nervión river surrounded by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the team’s initial silverware in 40 years. Currently he stands as the club’s leading marksman in the European competition, where they are distinctive and debuting in ten years. “I never imagined this,” he states.
The player believed it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and his assessment was correct. As the child of the one-time rival player Xabi Guruzeta and a dedicated fan at the opposition side, Guruzeta is a graduate of Antiguoko, the local academy that nurtured the Arsenal manager, Xabi Alonso and the tactician. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after his first-team bow in the 2018 season, he suffered a ACL injury, dropped, a drop in category and a call back before he could truly get a chance, making his comeback to enjoy the highlights of the club’s history.
“Joining the setup thinking you won’t reach the senior squad but with every stage you go through you’re persisting and you can see it getting closer. You make it and … you’re sent away.” He had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his first game and early 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances at that level and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A massive setback but In retrospect as a turning point because it forced me to alter the outlook. Recovering from a long-term injury is challenging, but it helps. You cultivate routines new to you. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then go home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Work, precaution. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, address that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have crashed into players countless occasions. They’re so strong. Reviewing old images: my physique was slight. Injuries are inevitable. Look at pictures of me now and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Training finishes, but further effort is needed. Peers are prepared, really ready; you have to be too.”
You also have to play. He left emotionally in 2020, in his early twenties, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in numerous matches. With Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: temporary moves, ended deals. Should you reverse it, work, believe, and if one day the requirement appears for your role, recall is possible. Preparation is key. Upon the recall, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, compete continentally, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks appreciate the experience. All the more so after the prior campaign which, at times, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with sixteen goals, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
