‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from injury table to scoring with Athletic Bilbao
Whenhe debut appearance the Athletic striker played in England, an 18-year-old playing for Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at Adams Park in fall 2015, he hit the target. The second time he played in England, against Sunderland weeks after, he netted. Another occasion, against the Citizens soon after, well, he repeated the feat. Upon his comeback to the city to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in 2017, he did it once more. An excellent finish, too. “In fact,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” Thus the club did their duty: he was replaced.
“I became very upset,” the attacker reveals, before breaking into laughter. “There must be a video somewhere. We traveled to face United and I was in fine form. I wasn’t allowed to feature the final 45 minutes: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, you know how it is. No confirmation on Newcastle being interested, but I came across reports about the Red Devils, the typical thing. I have no idea if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, my desire was to remain at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the training ground, Bilbao, the day’s first practice is set to begin; post-session, the brief trip to the airport and another trip to Britain, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the European elite competition on Wednesday. Just saying those two words lights him up. This is proving a tough year for the team, due in part to the requirements of being here. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have won only one of their past eight league games and been defeated by Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in Europe. But, look at the overall situation, the big nights he has lived and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.
In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, Gorka has been a semi-final participant, stopped at the gates a domestic final by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary flanked by a million fans after securing the Spanish cup, the team’s initial silverware in four decades. Now he is the club’s leading marksman in the UCL, where they are unique and debuting in ten years. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.
Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to earn a spot and that proved true. The son of the ex-La Real star Xabi Guruzeta and a season ticket holder at the opposition side, Gorka is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that produced the coach, Xabi Alonso and the tactician. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after making his senior debut in that summer, he suffered a serious knee problem, dropped, a relegation and a recall before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of the club’s history.
“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the senior squad but every phase you go through you’re persisting and you can observe the approach. You get there but … departure is necessary.” He featured briefly in six matches in half a dozen appearances between his debut and that period. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances at that level and I suffered the ACL injury.
“It was a huge blow but I look back on it as a beneficial experience because it made me change the perspective. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it helps. You develop habits you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I did the sessions and then go home, as a youngster does. At the complex, facilities are comprehensive, so take full advantage. Practice, prevention. Strength training. If your hips aren’t balanced, address that. If your ankles are a 10, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: do them.
“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have been in battles repeatedly. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. So what happens, happens. Current photos and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Practice concludes, but additional work remains. Teammates are set, really ready; you have to be too.”
Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed in tears in 2020, at 23 years old, moving to a lower level. During his Sabadell spell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in 40 games. At Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the goals started to flow. “Many experience this: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, dedication, confidence, and when eventually they need someone in your position, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, it was a dream come true. The trophy success, play in Europe, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
No wonder he says appreciate the experience. Particularly after the previous season which, at times, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
