‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s road from injury table to scoring with the Basque club

Thehe initial occasion Gorka Guruzeta competed in the UK, an teenage playing for the youth squad against Bundesliga youth at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he scored. The second time he played in British turf, against the English side following that, he netted. The third time, against Pep Guardiola’s team soon after, well, he scored again. Upon his comeback to Manchester to play against the Red Devils at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, as well. “Actually,” he says, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve netted.” So Athletic did their duty: they took him off.

“I became very upset,” the attacker admits, then chuckling. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I performed well. They didn’t let me play the final 45 minutes: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, I was scoring goals, speculation was rife, you know how it is. No confirmation on Newcastle being interested, but I recall seeing about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. It’s unclear how true it was, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at Bilbao. I’m fortunate to be here.”

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At Lezama, Bilbao, the day’s first practice is set to begin; post-session, the short journey to Loiu airport and another trip to the UK, this time to play Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday. Just saying those two words lights him up. It’s turning out to be a difficult season for the team, partially owing to the pressures of being here. Beaten in added time in the derby on Saturday, they have managed just one win of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and the German side in the continental stage. Yet, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection about him.

In the three years since he had rejoined the team, the striker has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle a final at home by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river flanked by a million fans after winning the Copa del Rey, the team’s initial silverware in four decades. Currently he stands as the club’s leading marksman in the European competition, where they are distinctive and debuting in ten years. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.

Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to make the first team and he was right. As the child of the ex-La Real star his father and a dedicated fan at the club that are now his rivals, Gorka is a graduate of Antiguoko, the local academy that produced the coach, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at 17 but after making his senior debut in the 2018 season, he suffered a torn cruciate, the cut, a demotion and a call back before he could earn his place, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of the club’s history.

“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the top level but each step you go through you’re remaining and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … departure is necessary.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in half a dozen appearances between his first game and February 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches at that level and my knee gave way.

“A severe disappointment but In retrospect as a turning point because it forced me to alter the perspective. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it aids growth. You cultivate routines you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I would go to training and then go home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, you have everything, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Strength training. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.

“In the first team you’re going to face physical challenges who have crashed into players countless occasions. Highly robust. Reviewing old images: my physique was slight. Thus incidents occur. Look at pictures of me now and the change is dramatic. Recovery revealed that. Sessions end, but there’s more to do. Teammates are set, really ready; no exceptions.”

You also have to play. The striker moved emotionally in 2020, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. During his Sabadell spell in the 20-21 campaign, he got three strikes in forty appearances. At Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the scoring picked up. “Many experience this: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, dedication, confidence, and when eventually they need someone where you play, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. Upon the recall, an aspiration fulfilled. To then win the Copa del Rey, European football, and make the UCL … pfff.”

Little surprise he states appreciate the experience. Especially after last year which, at times, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|