‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from gurney to goals with Athletic Bilbao

Whenhe initial occasion the Athletic striker played in English soil, an 18-year-old playing for the reserve team against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in September 2015, he hit the target. On his next visit he took the field in British turf, against the Black Cats weeks after, he converted. His third outing, against the Citizens not long later, sure enough, he did it once more. Upon his comeback to the northwest to play against the Red Devils at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he found the back of the net. An excellent finish, as well. “Truly,” he says, “it’s one of the best goals in my career.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they substituted him.

“I got well angry,” the forward says, then chuckling. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the second half: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, I kept finding the net, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. I’m unsure regarding Newcastle being interested, but I recall seeing about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. It’s unclear the validity, but had they contacted me, I’d have chosen to stay at Bilbao. It’s a privilege.”

Real Sociedad release pressure with surreal victory in Basque derby like no other

At the training ground, the Basque Country, the morning session is about to start; following that, the brief trip to Loiu and another trip to England, this time to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on the upcoming match. Uttering the name lights him up. This is proving a tough year for the club, due in part to the pressures of being here. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in European competition. Yet, take in the big picture, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation within 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 domestic final by Manchester United, and has ridden an historic vessel along the Nervión river flanked by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the club’s first trophy in 40 years. Currently he stands as the club’s leading marksman in the Champions League, where they are unique and returning after absence in a long period. “This was beyond my dreams,” he states.

Guruzeta thought it challenging enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. The son of the former Real Sociedad player his father and a season ticket holder at the club that are now his rivals, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the San Sebastián club that developed the coach, the legendary midfielder and the tactician. His move to Athletic came at his teens but after his top-level debut in the 2018 season, he went through a torn cruciate, the cut, a drop in category and a return before he could truly get a chance, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of the club’s history.

“You go into the academy not expecting to reach the top level but each step you progress through you’re persisting and you can notice the proximity. You make it and … you have to leave.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in half a dozen appearances between his debut and early 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 beneficial experience because it made me change the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is difficult, but it helps. You cultivate routines previously lacking. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then return home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, all resources are available, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.

“Among professionals you’re going to crash into players who have crashed into players countless occasions. Extremely powerful. Reviewing old images: my legs are chicken legs. So what happens, happens. Look at pictures of me now and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Everyone else is ready, really ready; you have to be too.”

You also have to play. The striker moved in tears in 2020, in his early twenties, joining the second tier. At Sabadell in that season, he got three strikes in forty appearances. With Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. Should you reverse it, effort, faith, and should the time come the requirement appears for your role, a return could happen. Preparation is key. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and make the UCL … pfff.”

No wonder he says this is to be enjoyed. Particularly after last year which, at times, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|