‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s road from injury table to goals with Athletic Bilbao
Whenhe first time the Spanish forward featured in England, an young playing for the youth squad against Bundesliga youth at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he found the net. During his subsequent match he appeared in England, against the English side two months later, he converted. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team six weeks after that, well, he did it once more. As he revisited to the northwest to face United at Leigh Sports Village in that year, he did it once more. An excellent finish, as well. “In fact,” he says, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” Thus the club did their duty: they substituted him.
“I got well angry,” the attacker reveals, before breaking into laughter. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I performed well. They didn’t let me play the final 45 minutes: my contract wasn’t finalized deal, I was scoring goals, there were lots of rumours, you know how it is. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I recall seeing about Manchester United, the typical thing. It’s unclear if it was accurate, but even if they had called, I would have wanted to stay at Bilbao. It’s a privilege.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At Lezama, the Basque Country, the early training is set to begin; after it, the brief trip to Loiu airport and another trip to the UK, now to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on the upcoming match. Mentioning that phrase brings a smile to his face. This is proving a tough year for the team, due in part to the pressures of their participation. Defeated late on in the derby on Saturday, they have secured just a single victory of their past eight league games and lost against Arsenal and Dortmund in Europe. But, consider the broader view, the memorable evenings and future challenges, and he feels a calm gratitude within him.
In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle a domestic final by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river accompanied by countless supporters after lifting the trophy, the first title in four decades. Currently he stands as Athletic’s top scorer in the UCL, where they are countercultural and debuting in a long period. “I never imagined this,” he states.
Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to earn a spot and his assessment was correct. Born to the one-time rival player his father and a dedicated fan at the opposition side, Gorka is a graduate of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that developed Mikel Arteta, the former star and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at 17 but after making his senior debut in that summer, he suffered a torn cruciate, being released, a relegation and a return before he could truly get a chance, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of the club’s history.
“Entering the youth system thinking you won’t reach the first team but with every stage you go through you’re persisting and you can notice the proximity. You arrive and then … departure is necessary.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in six games between his bow and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches with them and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A severe disappointment but I look back on it as a beneficial experience because it made me change the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is hard, but it helps. You adopt practices new to you. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then go home, as a youngster does. At the complex, all resources are available, so do everything. Work, precaution. Get in the gym. If your hips aren’t balanced, address that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“Among professionals you’re going to face physical challenges who have experienced contact repeatedly. Highly robust. Reviewing old images: my physique was slight. Injuries are inevitable. Look at pictures of me now and the change is dramatic. The setback taught me. Training finishes, but there’s more to do. Everyone else is ready, really ready; you have to be too.”
Minutes are crucial. The striker moved in tears in that year, aged 23, dropping into the second division. With Sabadell in that season, he netted three goals in forty appearances. During his Amorebieta stint in the second half of 2021-22, the he found his form. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. With a turnaround, effort, faith, and if one day they need someone where you play, a return could happen. You have to be ready. When they decided to call again, an aspiration fulfilled. The trophy success, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
No wonder he says appreciate the experience. Particularly after the prior campaign which, sometimes, was about endurance. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
