‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s road from rehabilitation to goals with Athletic Bilbao
Whenhe debut appearance the Spanish forward featured in England, an 18-year-old appearing for the youth squad against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he found the net. The second time he took the field in British turf, against the English side weeks after, he netted. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team not long later, well, he scored again. When he returned to Manchester to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he scored again. It was a superb volley, too. “Truly,” he states, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve netted.” So Athletic did what was necessary: he was replaced.
“I was furious,” the forward admits, and then he starts laughing. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I was in fine form. They kept me out of the final 45 minutes: I was without a signed agreement, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. I don’t know about Newcastle being interested, but I remember reading about Manchester United, the typical thing. It’s unclear the validity, but supposing an offer came, my desire was to remain at the club. I’m fortunate to be here.”
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At the facility, the Basque Country, the morning session is set to begin; following that, the short journey to Loiu and a further journey to the UK, on this occasion to play Newcastle in the UCL on midweek. Uttering the name lights him up. It’s turning out to be a difficult season for the club, partly because of the requirements of competing at this level. Beaten in added time in the weekend clash, they have won only one of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and the German side in European competition. But, take in the big picture, 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 Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle a final at home by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river flanked by a million fans after securing the Spanish cup, the club’s first trophy in a long wait. Now he is the top goal-getter in the European competition, where they are distinctive and debuting in ten years. “I never imagined this,” he says.
He considered it challenging enough just to break into the senior squad and he was right. As the child of the former Real Sociedad player the former professional and a regular attendee at the team he now opposes, Gorka is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that produced Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at 17 but after his first-team bow in that summer, he suffered a torn cruciate, dropped, a drop in category and a call back before he could truly get a chance, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of the club’s history.
“Entering the youth system not expecting to reach the senior squad but with every stage you progress through you’re still there and you can see it getting closer. You make it and … you’re sent away.” He featured briefly in six matches in a handful of matches between his bow and early 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A severe disappointment but In retrospect as a beneficial experience because it forced me to alter the outlook. The rehabilitation process is hard, but it helps. You develop habits you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I did the sessions and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. If your hips aren’t balanced, address that. If your ankles are a 10, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles repeatedly. Highly robust. Seeing previous pictures: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Present-day images and the change is dramatic. Injury made me see that. Sessions end, but there’s more to do. Teammates are set, really ready; the same applies.”
Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed upset in the pandemic season, at 23 years old, joining the second tier. During his Sabadell spell in 2020-21, he scored three times in numerous matches. With Amorebieta in the following period, the he found his form. “Many experience this: temporary moves, ended deals. Should you reverse it, dedication, confidence, and should the time come the requirement appears in your position, a return could happen. Preparation is key. When they decided to call again, it was a dream come true. To then win the Copa del Rey, play in Europe, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Little surprise he states appreciate the experience. All the more so after last year which, sometimes, was about endurance. Previously the main threat with a high tally, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
