‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s journey from gurney to scoring with Athletic
The first time the Spanish forward featured in English soil, an 18-year-old representing Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at Adams Park in the 2015 season, he found the net. The second time he played in the country, against the English side following that, he netted. The third time, against Manchester City soon after, indeed, he scored again. When he returned to Manchester to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in that year, he found the back of the net. A spectacular strike, also. “Actually,” he says, “it’s a top-class goal in my career.” Thus the club did what they had to do: they took him off.
“I was furious,” the forward admits, and then he starts laughing. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I was pretty good. I wasn’t allowed to feature the final 45 minutes: I was without a signed deal, I kept finding the net, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I came across reports about Man United, standard transfer gossip. I’m not certain how true it was, but supposing an offer came, my desire was to remain at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the training ground, the city, the morning session is ready to commence; following that, the quick travel to Loiu and another flight to Britain, this time to play Newcastle in the Champions League on the upcoming match. Mentioning that phrase makes Guruzeta smile. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for the club, due in part to the demands of their participation. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have won only one of their recent league fixtures and fallen to the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund in the continental stage. But, take in the big picture, the memorable evenings and future challenges, and a sense of thankful reflection within him.
In the three years since he had returned to the club, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, stopped at the gates a domestic final by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river surrounded by a million fans after securing the Spanish cup, the team’s initial silverware in four decades. He’s now Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are countercultural and debuting in a decade. “I never imagined this,” he states.
The player believed it hard enough just to make the first team and his assessment was correct. Born to the ex-La Real star his father and a dedicated fan at the opposition side, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the Donostiarra team that produced the Arsenal manager, the legendary midfielder and the tactician. He signed for Athletic at 17 but after his first-team bow in that summer, he experienced a serious knee problem, dropped, a drop in category and a recall before he could earn his place, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of his career.
“You go into the academy not expecting to reach the top level but with every stage you progress through you’re remaining and you can notice the proximity. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in a handful of matches between his first game and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances with them and my knee gave way.
“A severe disappointment but I reflect on it as something positive because it shifted the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is challenging, but it helps. You adopt practices you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I attended practice and then head home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, you have everything, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. Should your hips be uneven, address that. With decent ankle function, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“Among professionals you’re going to collide with opponents 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 it’s totally different. The setback taught me. Sessions end, but additional work remains. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”
Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed emotionally in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, joining the second tier. During his Sabadell spell in that season, he scored three times in numerous matches. With Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the scoring picked up. “Players go through it: loans, terminated contracts. With a turnaround, dedication, confidence, and when eventually the requirement appears in your position, a return could happen. Preparation is key. Upon the recall, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Little surprise he states appreciate the experience. Especially after last year which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. From top scorer with a high tally, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|