‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from injury table to success with Athletic Bilbao
The initial occasion the Spanish forward featured in the UK, an 18-year-old representing Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at the English ground in September 2015, he found the net. During his subsequent match he played in England, against Sunderland following that, he netted. His third outing, against Manchester City soon after, indeed, he scored again. When he returned to the northwest to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he scored again. It was a superb volley, as well. “Truly,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they took him off.
“I became very upset,” the Athletic striker says, before breaking into laughter. “Probably there’s a recording. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the second half: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, it’s typical. I don’t know about Newcastle being interested, but I came across reports about Man United, the usual talk. I have no idea how true it was, but had they contacted me, I’d have chosen to stay at Athletic. I’m fortunate to be here.”
Real Sociedad ease tension with bizarre win in unique Basque clash
At Lezama, the Basque Country, the morning session is ready to commence; after it, the brief trip to Loiu and another trip to England, now to take on the Magpies in the European elite competition on the upcoming match. Uttering the name makes Guruzeta smile. It has become a difficult season for the team, partially owing to the demands of competing at this level. Losing in stoppage time in the weekend clash, they have managed just one win of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in European competition. Yet, take in the big picture, the major occasions he’s experienced and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.
In the three years since he had returned to the club, Gorka has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway surrounded by a huge crowd after winning the Copa del Rey, the first title in 40 years. Now he is the club’s leading marksman in the Champions League, where they are countercultural and returning after absence in a decade. “I never imagined this,” he says.
The player believed it hard enough just to make the first team and that proved true. Born to the former Real Sociedad player his father and a dedicated fan at the club that are now his rivals, Guruzeta is a graduate of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that produced Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and the tactician. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after his first-team bow in the 2018 season, he experienced a ACL injury, the cut, a drop in category and a return before he could finally secure an opportunity, returning at 26 to live the best days of their lives.
“You go into the academy doubting you’ll make the senior squad but every phase you go through you’re remaining and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in half a dozen appearances between his debut and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches there and my knee gave way.
“A massive setback but I reflect on it as something positive because it shifted the perspective. Healing from a serious ailment is challenging, but it helps. You cultivate routines new to you. It’s not about neglect, but I attended practice and then return home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, all resources are available, so utilize it all. Training, prehab. Hit the weights. Should your hips be uneven, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, make it a 12 or a 14. Every small aspect: execute them.
“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have been in battles countless occasions. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: my physique was slight. Injuries are inevitable. Current photos and the change is dramatic. Injury made me see that. Practice concludes, but further effort is needed. Peers are prepared, really ready; no exceptions.”
Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed upset in that year, aged 23, moving to a lower level. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in forty appearances. During his Amorebieta stint in the second half of 2021-22, the goals started to flow. “Many experience this: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, work, believe, and should the time come they need someone in your position, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. Upon the recall, it was a dream come true. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Little surprise he states this is to be enjoyed. Especially after last year which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
