‘Every minor detail – execute them’: The striker’s road from injury table to scoring with Athletic Bilbao
The initial occasion Gorka Guruzeta played in England, an young playing for Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at Adams Park in the 2015 season, he hit the target. The second time he took the field in the country, against the English side weeks after, he scored. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team six weeks after that, indeed, he repeated the feat. Upon his comeback to the city to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he found the back of the net. An excellent finish, as well. “Actually,” he says, “it ranks among my finest I’ve ever scored.” So Athletic did their duty: he was replaced.
“I was furious,” the forward says, before breaking into laughter. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I performed well. They didn’t let me play the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed deal, I kept finding the net, speculation was rife, you know how it is. No confirmation on Newcastle being interested, but I came across reports about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea if it was accurate, but supposing an offer came, I would have wanted to stay at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At Lezama, Bilbao, the early training is about to start; after it, the short journey to Loiu and a further journey to England, on this occasion to face Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday. Mentioning that phrase makes Guruzeta smile. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for the team, partially owing to the demands of being here. Defeated late on in the derby on Saturday, they have managed just one win of their recent league fixtures and lost against Arsenal and the German side in Europe. However, take in the big picture, the major occasions he’s experienced and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection about him.
In the the period since he had returned to the club, Gorka has been a Europa League semi-finalist, stopped at the gates a final at home by Manchester United, and has traveled on a traditional boat along the Nervión river surrounded by a million fans after lifting the trophy, the club’s first trophy in 40 years. He’s now Athletic’s top scorer in the UCL, where they are distinctive and debuting in a decade. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he admits.
He considered it difficult enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. Born to the former Real Sociedad player his father and a regular attendee at the opposition side, Guruzeta is from the Antiguoko academy, the Donostiarra team that developed the Arsenal manager, the former star and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after his first-team bow in August 2018, he experienced a ACL injury, dropped, a relegation and a call back before he could finally secure an opportunity, making his comeback to enjoy the highlights of their lives.
“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the first team but with every stage you advance through you’re persisting and you can see it getting closer. You get there but … you’re sent away.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in half a dozen appearances between his first game and February 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 look back on it as a turning point because it made me change the outlook. The rehabilitation process is challenging, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I would go to training and then go home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, you have everything, 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. All the minor details: perform them.
“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have been in battles repeatedly. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Present-day images and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Practice concludes, but further effort is needed. Peers are prepared, really ready; you have to be too.”
Minutes are crucial. He left emotionally in that year, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he scored three times in forty appearances. With Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the he found his form. “It’s a common path: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, work, believe, and when eventually the requirement appears in your position, a return could happen. You have to be ready. When they decided to call again, a fantasy realized. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Little surprise he states savor the moment. All the more so after the prior campaign which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
