‘Every minor detail – execute them’: The striker’s journey from rehabilitation to scoring with Athletic Bilbao
Thehe initial occasion the Athletic striker played in English soil, an teenage representing the reserve team against Bundesliga youth at Adams Park in the 2015 season, he scored. On his next visit he took the field in the country, against the English side two months later, he scored. His third outing, against Manchester City soon after, well, he repeated the feat. When he returned to the city to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in that year, he found the back of the net. A spectacular strike, too. “In fact,” he remarks, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve ever scored.” So Athletic did what was necessary: he was replaced.
“I got well angry,” the forward reveals, before breaking into laughter. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the latter period: I was without a signed agreement, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, you know how it is. I’m unsure regarding interest from Newcastle, but I recall seeing about Man United, the usual talk. I have no idea how true it was, but even if they had called, I’d have chosen to stay at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At Lezama, the Basque Country, the early training is ready to commence; post-session, the short journey to Loiu and a further journey to England, this time to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on midweek. Uttering the name lights him up. It has become a challenging campaign for the club, due in part to the demands of their participation. Beaten in added time 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. Yet, look at the overall situation, the big nights he has lived and future challenges, and he feels a calm gratitude from 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 final at home by the English giants, and has traveled on a traditional boat along the Nervión river accompanied by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the team’s initial silverware in 40 years. Now he is the top goal-getter in the Champions League, where they are countercultural and debuting in ten years. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he admits.
Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to earn a spot and he was right. As the child of the ex-La Real star his father and a season ticket holder at the team he now opposes, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the local academy that developed Mikel Arteta, the legendary midfielder and the tactician. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after his first-team bow in August 2018, he went through a torn cruciate, dropped, a demotion and a call back before he could earn his place, coming back aged 26 to experience the peak of their lives.
“You go into the academy not expecting to reach the senior squad but each step you progress through you’re still there and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his debut and early 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches with them and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A severe disappointment but I reflect on it as a beneficial experience because it shifted the perspective. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it aids growth. You develop habits you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I did the sessions and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, all resources are available, so do everything. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, correct it. Assuming ankle mobility is good, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“Among professionals you’re going to collide with opponents who have experienced contact countless occasions. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Current photos and it’s totally different. Recovery revealed that. Training finishes, but there’s more to do. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”
Game time is essential. The striker moved in tears in the pandemic season, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in forty appearances. During his Amorebieta stint in the latter part of the season, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: temporary moves, ended deals. With a turnaround, effort, faith, and if one day a vacancy arises in your position, a return could happen. Preparation is key. When the opportunity came, an aspiration fulfilled. The trophy success, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks savor the moment. All the more so after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was about endurance. After being leading scorer with a high tally, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
