‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from injury table to scoring with Athletic Bilbao
Whenhe initial occasion the Athletic striker featured in England, an 18-year-old appearing for the youth squad against Bundesliga youth at Adams Park in the 2015 season, he found the net. On his next visit he played in the country, against Sunderland weeks after, he netted. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team not long later, indeed, he scored again. When he returned to the northwest to face United at Leigh Sports Village in the 2017 season, he scored again. An excellent finish, too. “Truly,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve ever scored.” Thus the club did their duty: he was replaced.
“I got well angry,” the forward admits, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I was in fine form. I wasn’t allowed to feature the second half: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, goals were flowing, speculation was rife, you know how it is. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I recall seeing about the Red Devils, the usual talk. It’s unclear how true it was, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at Bilbao. I’m fortunate to be here.”
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At Lezama, Bilbao, the early training is set to begin; following that, the brief trip to Loiu airport and a further journey to Britain, now to take on the Magpies in the European elite competition on the upcoming match. Just saying those two words makes Guruzeta smile. This is proving a challenging campaign for Athletic, partially owing to the pressures of being here. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have won only one of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in Europe. Yet, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.
In the 36 months since he had rejoined the team, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, prevented from reaching the showpiece event by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river flanked by a million fans after lifting the trophy, the team’s initial silverware in a long wait. Now he is the club’s leading marksman in the UCL, where they are countercultural and making their first appearance in a decade. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
The player believed it difficult enough just to make the first team and his assessment was correct. Born to the former Real Sociedad player Xabi Guruzeta and a dedicated fan at the club that are now his rivals, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the local academy that developed the coach, the former star and the Bournemouth manager. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after making his senior debut in the 2018 season, he suffered a serious knee problem, dropped, a relegation and a call back before he could finally secure an opportunity, returning at 26 to enjoy the highlights of their lives.
“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the first team but each step you advance through you’re still there and you can see it getting closer. You make it and … departure is necessary.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in half a dozen appearances between his first game and that period. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches there and I tear my cruciate.
“A severe disappointment but In retrospect as something positive because it made me change the perspective. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it aids growth. You adopt practices you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I attended practice and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, all resources are available, so utilize it all. Training, prehab. Strength training. With hip imbalance, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. Every small aspect: perform them.
“At the top level you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles repeatedly. Extremely powerful. Reviewing old images: my legs are chicken legs. So what happens, happens. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. The setback taught me. Training finishes, but there’s more to do. Peers are prepared, really ready; no exceptions.”
Minutes are crucial. He left in tears in that year, aged 23, joining the second tier. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he scored three times in numerous matches. With Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the goals started to flow. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and when eventually a vacancy arises where you play, they might come back for you. Readiness is vital. When the opportunity came, an aspiration fulfilled. To then win the Copa del Rey, play in Europe, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
Little surprise he states savor the moment. All the more so after the prior campaign which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with a high tally, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
