‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s path from injury table to scoring with Athletic Bilbao
The initial occasion the Spanish forward played in England, an 18-year-old representing the reserve team against Bundesliga youth at the English ground in fall 2015, he hit the target. The second time he played in British turf, against the Black Cats weeks after, he netted. His third outing, against the Citizens soon after, sure enough, he repeated the feat. When he returned to Manchester to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he scored again. A spectacular strike, as well. “Truly,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” Thus the club did what was necessary: they took him off.
“I was furious,” the Athletic striker admits, and then he starts laughing. “Probably there’s a recording. We traveled to face United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the latter period: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, you know how it is. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I recall seeing about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, 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, the Basque Country, the early training is set to begin; post-session, the brief trip to Loiu airport and a further journey to Britain, now to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on Wednesday. Uttering the name brings a smile to his face. It has become a difficult season for the club, partly because of the demands of being here. Defeated late on in the weekend clash, they have won only one of their past eight league games and been defeated by Arsenal and Dortmund in Europe. But, consider the broader view, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.
In the 36 months since he had rejoined the team, the striker has been a final four contender in Europe, stopped at the gates a final at home by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway flanked by countless supporters after winning the Copa del Rey, the team’s initial silverware in a long wait. He’s now Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are countercultural and making their first appearance in a decade. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he admits.
The player believed it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. Born to the former Real Sociedad player Xabi Guruzeta and a regular attendee at the team he now opposes, Gorka is a graduate of Antiguoko, the local academy that produced the Arsenal manager, the former star and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at 17 but after his top-level debut in the 2018 season, he experienced a torn cruciate, the cut, a demotion and a return before he could earn his place, returning at 26 to live the best days of their lives.
“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the top level but every phase you progress through you’re remaining and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … you have to leave.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in a handful of matches between his first game and that period. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances at that level and my knee gave way.
“A massive setback but I look back on it as something positive because it shifted the outlook. Recovering from a long-term injury is challenging, but it helps. You develop habits previously lacking. Previously I was casual, but I attended practice and then head home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. If your hips aren’t balanced, address that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, make it a 12 or a 14. Every small aspect: do them.
“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have experienced contact repeatedly. Extremely powerful. Reviewing old images: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Current photos and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Training finishes, but further effort is needed. Peers are prepared, really ready; you have to be too.”
Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed upset in that year, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in forty appearances. During his Amorebieta stint in the second half of 2021-22, the scoring picked up. “Players go through it: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and when eventually a vacancy arises in your position, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. Lifting the cup, European football, and make the UCL … pfff.”
No wonder he says this is to be enjoyed. Particularly after last year which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with sixteen goals, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
