‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s path from injury table to success with Athletic
Thehe initial occasion Gorka Guruzeta featured in England, an young appearing for Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in the 2015 season, he scored. The second time he played in the country, against Sunderland weeks after, he netted. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team six weeks after that, sure enough, he scored again. Upon his comeback to the city to face United at the sports complex in that year, he did it once more. It was a superb volley, as well. “Actually,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” Thus the club did their duty: they took him off.
“I was furious,” the attacker admits, and then he starts laughing. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I was in fine form. I wasn’t allowed to feature the final 45 minutes: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I was scoring goals, there were lots of rumours, you know how it is. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I remember reading about Manchester United, the typical thing. I’m not certain the validity, but had they contacted me, I’d have chosen to stay at the club. I’m fortunate to be here.”
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At the training ground, the city, the early training is set to begin; following that, the short journey to Loiu and another trip to England, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on midweek. Uttering the name lights him up. It has become a tough year for the club, due in part to the demands of being here. Defeated late on in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and Dortmund in the continental stage. However, look at the overall situation, the major occasions he’s experienced and those that lie ahead, and he feels a calm gratitude from him.
In the 36 months since he had come back to Athletic, the striker has been a final four contender in Europe, stopped at the gates a final at home by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary accompanied by a huge crowd after winning the Copa del Rey, the team’s initial silverware in four decades. Now he is the top goal-getter in the Champions League, where they are unique and returning after absence in a long period. “I never imagined this,” he admits.
He considered it challenging enough just to make the first team and he was right. Born to the ex-La Real star the former professional and a regular attendee at the team he now opposes, the forward is a product of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that produced the coach, the former star and Andoni Iraola. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after making his senior debut in August 2018, he went through a ACL injury, being released, a drop in category and a recall before he could finally secure an opportunity, returning at 26 to live the best days of the club’s history.
“You go into the academy thinking you won’t reach the senior squad but each step you go through you’re remaining and you can see it getting closer. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in a handful of matches between his debut and that period. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and I tear my cruciate.
“It was a huge blow but I look back on it as a beneficial experience because it forced me to alter the outlook. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it’s beneficial. You develop habits you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I attended practice and then head home, like when you’re a kid. In the facility, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Work, precaution. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, address that. With decent ankle function, improve it more. Every small aspect: execute them.
“Among professionals you’re going to crash into players who have experienced contact repeatedly. Extremely powerful. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. Thus incidents occur. Current photos and it’s totally different. Recovery revealed that. Training finishes, but further effort is needed. Teammates are set, really ready; the same applies.”
Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed upset in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, moving to a lower level. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he scored three times in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the latter part of the season, the scoring picked up. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. Should you reverse it, effort, faith, and when eventually they need someone for your role, recall is possible. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, it was a dream come true. Lifting the cup, European football, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
Little surprise he states appreciate the experience. Particularly after the previous season which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with a high tally, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
